Message 27
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Scripture Reading: Exo. 12:14, 37; 13:1-22; Gen. 50:24-25; Heb. 11:22; Josh. 24:32; Ezek. 37:1, 10
In this message we shall continue to consider the exodus of God’s people from Egypt. In the previous message we saw that Pharaoh and the Egyptians were subdued by God; then they drove the children of Israel out of Egypt (12:29-33; 11:1). The children of Israel had no time to leaven their bread (12:34, 39), but, according to God’s commandment, they plundered the Egyptians of their silver, gold, and raiment (12:35-36; 3:21-22; 11:2-3). Furthermore, we saw that the children of Israel came forth from Egypt with their children and their flocks and herds (12:37-38, 31-32). Their dwelling in the Gentile land had lasted for a period of four hundred thirty years (12:40-41). The night of their exodus was a night of observation (12:42). Finally, when they made their exodus from Egypt, the children of Israel had become the armies of the Lord (12:41, 51). Hence, in the words of 13:18, they came out of Egypt in martial array.
In this message we shall cover four additional points, all found in chapter thirteen. In contrast to the material covered in the foregoing message, these points are related to spiritual matters.
It may seem that chapter thirteen is an insertion between chapters twelve and fourteen and that chapter fourteen should be the direct continuation of chapter twelve. In a sense, this may be correct. However, from the standpoint of spiritual experience, chapter thirteen is not an insertion; it is a definite continuation of chapter twelve.
All the points in chapter thirteen relate to spiritual experience on the positive side. For example, 13:2 speaks of the sanctification of the firstborn. Certainly this signifies a particular aspect of the spiritual experience of God’s people in coming out of Egypt. It indicates that the purpose of our exodus from the world is to be sanctified to the Lord.
In 13:3-10 we read of a day of memorial held in the month of Abib. At the time of this memorial, the children of Israel were not to eat leavened bread. The day the children of Israel came out from Egypt was to be a day of unleavened bread and a day of memorial. According to 13:3, it was the eating of unleavened bread that was the memorial, the remembrance. The way to remember the exodus was to purge out all leaven. Hence, there are three things that go together: the day of remembrance, the unleavened bread, and the month of Abib.
In 13:19 we read that “Moses took the bones of Joseph with him,” for Joseph had charged the children of Israel, saying, “God will surely visit you; and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you.” It is significant that this detail is not mentioned either in chapter twelve or in chapter fourteen, but immediately after a verse that tells us how God led the people through the way of the wilderness (v. 18). As we shall see, God led them in a way contrary to what we would expect according to the natural concept. We would expect Him to take the short way, but instead He took a roundabout way. Furthermore, in the verses immediately following the record concerning Joseph’s bones, we are told that the Lord went before the children of Israel by day in a pillar of cloud and by night in a pillar of fire. Therefore, as we consider this chapter in the light of spiritual experience, we need to put together the matter of Joseph’s bones with the way of God’s leading.
Viewing this chapter as a whole, we see that it begins with sanctification and ends with the Lord’s presence as the guide for His people. How marvelous! Let us now look at this wonderful chapter in detail.
Sanctification is based on redemption. Exodus 13:2 says, “Sanctify unto me all the firstborn, whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of beast: it is mine.” The Lord required only the firstborn to be sanctified because they were the redeemed ones. This indicates that whatever or whoever is redeemed must also be sanctified. This principle applies to us as believers in Christ. Because we have been redeemed, we must also be sanctified. Otherwise, we shall remain in Egypt, in the world. If we desire to experience a genuine exodus from Egypt, we must be both redeemed and sanctified. No one can come out of Egypt without being sanctified unto the Lord. According to the divine requirement, all those who are redeemed must also be sanctified.
Redemption is for our security, whereas sanctification is for God’s purpose. If we are shortsighted, we may see only redemption, which is for our benefit. But if we have the proper discernment, we shall see that redemption must be followed by sanctification (Rom. 6:22), which is for the fulfillment of God’s purpose.
Because the firstborn had been redeemed by the Passover lamb, all the firstborn both of man and of beast had to be sanctified to the Lord. For the sanctification of the firstborn, the oxen and the sheep did not need another kind of animal to be substituted for them. They were clean animals, acceptable to the Lord as a sacrifice. However, verse 13 says, “And every firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb.” Because donkeys are unclean in the eyes of God, they cannot be accepted by Him and they cannot satisfy Him. Therefore, the firstborn of a donkey had to be redeemed by a lamb.
At this point, we need to raise a rather puzzling question. Since the firstborn of a donkey had already been redeemed by the Passover lamb, why did it need to be redeemed again in sanctification? The answer is that even though a donkey had been redeemed, it was still an unclean animal. In order to be sanctified, to be offered on the altar to the Lord for His satisfaction, the donkey still had to be redeemed with a lamb. It was not qualified to be sacrificed to the Lord for His satisfaction.
We may apply this principle to our spiritual experience. As far as sanctification is concerned, we are not sheep or oxen; we are donkeys. Even though we have been redeemed, our natural man is still unclean in the eyes of God. Hence, in order to be sanctified to the Lord, we need Christ to be our substitute. In verse 13 we are told that not only the firstling of the ass, but all the firstborn of man among the children of Israel had to be redeemed. This indicates that they had to be redeemed in sanctification. They needed redemption not only at the time of the Passover, but also for their sanctification. This means that a substitute was necessary both for redemption and for sanctification.
The Passover lamb typifies Christ as our Redeemer. Through Him as our substitute, we have been redeemed. However, because we are still unclean and natural, we cannot be a living sacrifice for God’s satisfaction; we need Christ to be our substitute in sanctification. This picture indicates that both for our salvation and for our sanctification we need Christ to be our substitute.
In Galatians 2:20 Paul said, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.” We need Christ not only for our redemption, but also for our living as a sacrifice to God. Although we have been redeemed, our nature has not yet been changed. As far as our nature is concerned, we all are “donkeys,” unclean in the eyes of God and therefore not acceptable to Him for His satisfaction. For this reason, we need Christ for our sanctification. Only by having Christ as our substitute can we be a living sacrifice to God that is acceptable and satisfying to Him.
Most Christians realize only that they need Christ as their substitute for redemption. Not many realize that in order to be a living sacrifice to satisfy God, they also need Christ as their substitute in sanctification. According to 13:13, if a donkey was not redeemed, its neck was to be broken. This means that any firstling of a donkey that was not redeemed had to be put to death. Because many Christians do not take Christ as their substitute for sanctification, it is as if their “necks” have been broken; that is, spiritually speaking, they are dead. They do not practice taking Christ as their substitute for their living unto God. Instead, they offer themselves on the altar as if they could be a sacrifice acceptable to God. This is a serious mistake. God will never accept the natural man as a sacrifice. On the contrary, the “neck” of the natural man must be broken.
We all need to be impressed with the fact that for redemption we need Christ as our security and that for sanctification we need Christ as our substitute in order to be acceptable to God and pleasing to Him. In ourselves, we are not qualified to be acceptable to God or pleasing to Him. In ourselves, we are not qualified to be redeemed and saved. In like manner, in ourselves we are not qualified to be sanctified to God for His satisfaction. Therefore, just as Christ was our substitute for redemption, He must also become our substitute for sanctification. Then in our living we shall be a sacrifice acceptable to God and pleasing to Him.
As we consider the picture in the book of Exodus, we see that for our security, safety, and salvation, we need Christ as our substitute so that we may be redeemed. We also see that in order to make our exodus from Egypt, to serve God, and to be a living sacrifice pleasing to God, we need Christ to be our substitute. To take Christ as our substitute for sanctification is a part of our redemption.
If we would be sanctified to God by taking Christ as our substitute, we need to experience the month of Abib (13:4), a period of time that signifies our whole Christian life, a time during which we enjoy new life. We have pointed out that the word Abib means sprouting, budding. Hence, it denotes a new beginning of life. In order to be sanctified to the Lord for His satisfaction, we need such a new beginning of life. We need to be a green ear of wheat sprouting with new life.
In this new beginning of life there must be no leaven. We have pointed out that in the Bible leaven signifies sinfulness or corruption. We need to deal with all sin that is exposed. We must not tolerate any sin after it has been exposed. To eat unleavened bread in this way is to have a true memorial to the Lord, a genuine remembrance. Those who are sanctified by having Christ as their substitute and who have a new beginning of life without sin will have a daily living that is worthy of being a memorial. If we have a proper experience of God’s salvation, we shall have a marvelous spiritual history. After our Passover, we shall be sanctified to the Lord by taking Christ as our substitute to live in us. Then we shall have a new beginning of life, and all exposed sin will be dealt with. Such a living will be a memorial, a remembrance. Every day we live this kind of life will be a day of memorial. In our Christian life every day should be such a memorial day. Any day that is not a memorial is a day of defeat.
I am concerned that many Christians will have very little to remember when they are in the New Jerusalem. But if we live with Christ as our substitute, have a new beginning of life, and deal with all exposed sin, we shall have a great deal to remember in eternity. Every day we live in this way is a day worth remembering. It is possible for every day of our Christian life to be a memorial. May the Lord save us from having to repent over wasted days, days in which there is no new beginning of life and no thorough dealing with leaven. After we have been saved through Christ as our Passover lamb, we need to take Him as our substitute for the beginning of a new, sinless life. Then we shall have many days of memorial.
Exodus 13:19 indicates that Joseph’s bones were brought out of Egypt with the children of Israel. It may seem strange that these bones are mentioned in the same chapter that speaks of the month of Abib. Apparently, there is no relationship between these two things. Green ears of wheat, signified by Abib, are full of life. But dead bones have no life. We should remember, however, that in the Bible bone signifies an unbreakable life, a life in resurrection (John 19:36). Therefore, the bones in 13:19 have something to do with resurrection life.
Hebrews 11:22 says, “By faith Joseph, when near his end, remembered concerning the exodus of the sons of Israel, and gave orders concerning his bones.” Joseph believed that one day God would visit His people and bring them out of the land of Egypt into the land He promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Furthermore, Joseph “took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence” (Gen. 50:24-25). The bringing of Joseph’s bones out of the land of Egypt into the good land signifies resurrection. The only way dead, dry bones could enter into the land of Canaan was by resurrection. According to the picture, the bones that were taken out of the grave and brought into the good land signify resurrection life.
In 1 Corinthians 15:50 Paul says, “Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God.” According to the Bible, flesh and blood denote the natural man (Matt. 16:17; Gal. 1:16). In resurrection, Christ has flesh and bones, but no blood (Luke 24:39). The fact that Joseph’s bones were brought into the good land indicates that the saints who have died will enter the kingdom in resurrection. (The living saints will be raptured and then enter the kingdom.) Those who share in the kingdom will no longer be in the natural life signified by flesh and blood, but in the resurrection life signified by Joseph’s bones. As God’s people today, we need to be in resurrection; we need to be bones that move in resurrection life.
In the eyes of God all the children of Israel had been dead and buried in graves in Egypt. That was their situation before the Passover. The land of Egypt was a huge cemetery in which God’s people had been buried. Hence, from God’s point of view, His people in Egypt were dry bones. The picture of the dry bones in Ezekiel 37 illustrates the condition of the children of Israel in Egypt: they were dry bones that needed to be resurrected and formed into an army (Ezek. 37:1, 10). The exodus from Egypt, therefore, was actually a resurrection. This is seen in particular in the crossing of the Red Sea.
The principle of resurrection applies to the matter of substitution for sanctification. According to Galatians 2:20, we have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer we who live, but Christ who lives within us. For Christ to be our substitute for sanctification is to be in resurrection.
Without resurrection, it is impossible for God’s people to come out of the world. Both Joseph’s bones and the crossing of the Red Sea point to resurrection. In our natural life we cannot make an exodus from the world. To make such an exodus, we must be a resurrected people. Although we are dry bones, we are bones that move. Like the bones in Ezekiel 37, we shall be made alive and become an army.
Just as the children of Israel were dry bones in Ezekiel 37, so at the time of Moses they were also dry bones. However, they were resurrected to become the army of God. This should also be our experience today.
The reason Joseph’s bones are mentioned in 13:19 is to show us that the exodus is accomplished only in resurrection. We are sanctified to the Lord and made acceptable and satisfying to Him in resurrection. Only in resurrection can we have a new beginning of a sinless life and thus have a day of remembrance. Every aspect of the exodus from Egypt is related to resurrection.
According to our experience we can testify that without resurrection life there can be no exodus from the world. The exodus is accomplished only in resurrection. Many sermons are given exhorting Christians not to love the world and to make their exodus from the world. Such sermons are filled with empty words. No one can leave the world unless he is enlivened by resurrection life. If we would come out of Egypt, we must be dry bones that have been buried in the world. But although we have been buried, we have been chosen by God and we shall come forth in resurrection.
We may be dead bones, but these bones signify a life that is unbreakable and divine. Only when this life comes forth in resurrection are we able to have an exodus from the world. Therefore, we come out of Egypt, not by our own energy or by our natural life, but by the resurrection life. Although Joseph had been chosen by God, he was buried in Egypt. However, in resurrection his bones were moved out of Egypt. The principle is the same with us today. Although we have been chosen by God, we have been buried in the world. But in resurrection the dead bones can move out of the world. This is life out of death! Hallelujah for the resurrection life that brings us out of the world!
Immediately after the word about Joseph’s bones, we have a record regarding the leading and guidance of the Lord (13:20-21; see also 13:17-18; 12:37). This marvelous sequence indicates that God cannot guide people apart from resurrection life. His guidance is available only to bones that move in resurrection. When the dry bones become living and begin to walk out of Egypt, God’s guidance comes to them.
For many years I wondered why Joseph’s bones are mentioned in relation to the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire (13:19-22), both of which signify God Himself. The fact that the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire are mentioned in relation to Joseph’s bones indicates that God’s living leading and guidance are related to resurrection life. When the dead bones move, God’s leading comes. When we move in resurrection life, we spontaneously have God’s guidance.
Many Christians today are seeking the Lord’s will; they earnestly desire His leading and guidance. However, the more they seek these things, the less they have them. The reason for this lack is that these believers are not bones that have been buried and resurrected; they are not bones that move in the power of resurrection life. In order to have the Lord’s leading and guidance, the buried bones must be raised out of the tomb and begin to move.
Chapter twelve speaks of the exodus of the children of Israel, but nothing is said about the Lord’s leading. This is found in chapter thirteen. If the children of Israel had gone out of Egypt by themselves, they would have made a serious mistake. In order to make a proper exodus, they had to have the Lord’s guidance and leading.
In Exodus 12 we have the Lord’s command, and in Exodus 13 we have the Lord’s leading. In spiritual matters, it is not sufficient to have only the Lord’s command and not His leading. To have His command but not His leading would be tragic. His command must always be followed by His leading.
It was right for the children of Israel to observe the Passover. Their environment had been subdued by the Lord, and they were ready to march out of Egypt. However, as the concluding verses of chapter thirteen make clear, God’s people could have then taken one of two ways: the short way or the roundabout way. According to the natural understanding, they certainly would have chosen the short way, not the roundabout way that involved a long detour. However, the way the children of Israel were to take did not depend on them. It did not even depend on Moses or Aaron. It depended absolutely on the Lord’s leading through the pillar of fire and the pillar of cloud. Apart from the Lord’s leading, God’s people had no right to move. If the children of Israel had moved without the Lord’s leading in the pillar of fire or in the pillar of cloud, they would have been moving on their own and in themselves. It is never right to do this in spiritual things. Along with God’s command, we must have His leading and His guidance. If He asks us to do something, we should not do it on our own. Instead, we should pray, “Lord, since You ask me to do this, You must guide me. Lead me by the pillar of fire or by the pillar of cloud.”
Although chapter thirteen may appear to be an insertion between chapters twelve and fourteen, actually it is not an insertion at all. On the contrary, this chapter is necessary. It reveals that we need the Lord’s guidance as well as His command.
Furthermore, this chapter reveals that the Lord’s guidance and leading come only when certain conditions are met. His leading and guidance are not unconditional. The first condition is sanctification. If we are not sanctified, we cannot have the Lord’s leading. We also need to experience the new beginning of an unleavened life. To be sanctified and to have the new beginning of a sinless life are the first two requirements to be able to receive the Lord’s guidance.
Another condition is resurrection. To be led of the Lord, we must not be in the natural man. Our bones must be resurrected and moving. Then, when we are no longer in the natural man, we shall have the Lord’s leading and guidance.
We have pointed out that the Bible refers to the natural man as flesh and blood. When Peter received the revelation that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God, the Lord answered, “You are blessed, Simon Bar-jona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in the heavens” (Matt. 16:17). Furthermore, after Christ had been revealed to Paul, Paul did not confer with flesh and blood; that is, he did not confer with the natural man (Gal. 1:16). As we have pointed out, the moving of Joseph’s bones signifies resurrection. Although these bones were dry, they were still able to move. This is a picture of a man in resurrection. Such a person can be guided by the Lord and led by Him. When we are in resurrection, we are qualified to receive the Lord’s guidance and leading.
Actually, the Lord’s leading and guidance are simply the Lord Himself in the pillar of fire by night and in the pillar of cloud by day. As the children of Israel marched out of Egypt in martial array, they were led by the pillar of fire or the pillar of cloud. The Egyptians must have been terrified by such a sight.
The portrait of the children of Israel marching out of Egypt according to the Lord’s guidance reveals that the Lord’s leading is given only when we have fulfilled His conditions. We need to be sanctified, we need to have the new beginning of a sinless life, and we need to be in resurrection. Then we shall be guided by the Lord and led by Him.
As the Lord guided the children of Israel, He did not lead them to take the short way. Instead, He led them to take a roundabout way, a way that may have seemed like a detour. We would expect the children of Israel to go straight through the land of the Philistines to the good land. However, 13:17 says, “God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt.” Because of the possibility of war with the Philistines, God did not lead the children of Israel along that way. As 13:20 indicates, “they took their journey from Succoth, and encamped in Etham, in the edge of the wilderness.”
According to the human mentality, the Lord’s leading of His people was strange and even foolish. If we had been God, we certainly would have led the people by another way, in order to avoid the possibility of pursuit by Pharaoh. God, however, led His people by the long way. As we shall see in a forthcoming message, this tempted Pharaoh to pursue them. God seemed to be mistaken in the way He led His people. Actually, the Lord’s leading is never mistaken. Whatever way God leads is right. He is never wrong.
Exodus 13:18 says, “But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red Sea.” The Hebrew language here indicates that God turned the people around. By the pillar of fire and the pillar of cloud He led them in a roundabout way.
A number of times in my Christian life, God has led me in ways that I thought were mistaken. But I have come to worship the Lord for His leading. His leading is always right. From our human point of view, we may think that He should lead us a certain way. But if He had taken us that way, there would have been no lessons for us to learn. On the contrary, we may be in danger of returning to Egypt. Therefore, God leads us to take an indirect way, even a long detour. Because the children of Israel were led this way, eventually they had to wander in the wilderness for thirty-eight years. Much of this time they went around and around in circles. This is also the experience of many Christians today. They go around in circles, with no apparent progress. However, through this kind of traveling we learn important lessons, as the books of Numbers and Deuteronomy make clear. We may expect to be led in a straight way, but God instead leads us to take a roundabout way, a detour. He even causes us to cross the Red Sea and then to travel through a great and terrible wilderness.
In the past I read a book entitled Straight Paths for the Children of God. However, often there are no straight paths for God’s people. When we most expect God to take a straight way, He causes us to take a detour. Within the course of several years we may have a number of detours. However, by these detours we are helped, equipped, educated, trained, and disciplined. This is the reason God does not lead us along straight paths.
When I was young, I appreciated that book on straight paths for the children of God. But I no longer value it because, in my Christian experience, I have learned that the Lord often leads us through detours. Consider the journeying of the children of Israel in the wilderness. Did they take a straight path? No, their way was full of detours. However, they themselves did not choose to make these detours. They were led by the Lord’s presence in the cloud and in the fire.
Exodus 13:21 and 22 say, “And Jehovah went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people” (Heb.). The two pillars actually are one. When night comes, the cloud becomes the fire. But when day dawns, the fire becomes the cloud. Nevertheless, the fire and the cloud are one.
In typology, the cloud signifies the Spirit. As He reaches us, the Spirit of God is like a cloud. The fire here signifies the Word of God, which is a light to us. Hence, the instant, living guidance that God gives us comes either through the Spirit or the Word. When the sky is clear, He is the cloud. But when the sky is dark, He is the fire. When the Lord leads as a pillar of fire by night, the light from this pillar causes the night to become day. In this way the children of Israel could journey day and night.
In the Christian life there should be no difference between day and night. Actually, we Christians should not have any night in our life with the Lord. Instead, our night should turn into day. If we have a night that does not turn into day, we are defeated. Whenever we are in darkness and are sleeping, we experience a night in our life as Christians. But when we call on the name of the Lord, we are enlightened, and our night becomes day.
Both the cloud and the fire are symbols of God, for He is both the Spirit and the Word. Furthermore, the Word is also the Spirit (John 6:63; Eph. 6:17). The Lord, the Spirit, and the Word are one to lead us and guide us continually. When we are clear, God guides us through the Spirit. But when we are not clear, He guides us through the Word. As the Word is made clear to us, it becomes the Spirit in our experience.
Whether as the cloud or the fire, God’s guidance is always a pillar. In the Bible a pillar denotes strength. Hence, God’s guidance is strong; it stands upright and supports weight. By means of such definite guidance God led the children of Israel.
We need to thank the Lord for all the details presented in Exodus 13. Here we see substitution for sanctification, the day of memorial, and the beginning of a new life without sin. Here we also see the resurrection life in which we enjoy the Lord’s presence for guidance as the pillar of cloud and as the pillar of fire. Let us worship the Lord for His leading, even when He leads us, not in a straight way, but in a roundabout way. Praise Him for all the detours!
