What does "Let My people go" reveal about God's desire for His people? The Setting of the Cry • Exodus 5:1: “Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: “Let My people go, so that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness.”’” • Israel is enslaved in Egypt; God confronts the world’s most powerful ruler with a sovereign command. • Repetition—Exodus 7:16; 8:1; 9:1—underscores that this is not a suggestion but a divine demand. Freedom Is God’s Initiative • The command originates with “the LORD, the God of Israel,” emphasizing God as both Creator and covenant Lord. • Israel does nothing to earn release; God moves first. • This pattern foreshadows salvation by grace: “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Freedom for a Purpose: Worship • “That they may hold a feast to Me” links liberation directly to worship. • Deliverance is never an end in itself; it is ordered toward joyful communion with God. • 1 Peter 2:9: “that you may proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” Freedom Grounded in Covenant Love • Deuteronomy 7:8: “Because the LORD loved you and kept the oath He swore to your fathers, He brought you out with a mighty hand.” • “My people” signals belonging; God’s love binds Him to act for their good. • The Exodus displays steadfast love (ḥesed) that undergirds every promise. Freedom Demonstrated through Deliverance • Plagues, Passover, and Red Sea parting show freedom costs—judgment on Egypt, blood of the lamb for Israel. • 1 Corinthians 5:7: “For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.” • True freedom is secured by God’s power and a substitute sacrifice. Freedom Anticipates Greater Redemption • Exodus points forward to the cross where the greater “Let My people go” is answered. • John 8:36: “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” • Galatians 5:1: “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free; stand firm, then, and do not be encumbered again by a yoke of slavery.” Living Out the Pattern Today • Celebrate freedom by gathering for worship—the feast God desires. • Reject any return to bondage—whether sin, legalism, or fear—because God’s will is liberty. • Embrace identity: “My people” means treasured possession (Exodus 19:5) and royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9). • Proclaim deliverance to others; God’s heart still cries, “Let My people go,” calling sinners out of darkness into His light. |
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