Exodus from Egypt & Slavery – Passover (a physical salvation)
Passover or the Feast of Freedom is the foundational feast of the Jewish people. In it, we remember God’s loving kindness in saving His people from bondage in Egypt and creating Israel as a nation. All that so that God Himself would dwell among His people and give us His Word in order to bless all nations. But could it be that this feast actually alludes to an even greater salvation yet to come? In the story of the crossing of the Red Sea, Moses encourages his nation to trust God. Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. Then, after God saves them from the Egyptians, it says: When Israel saw the great power which the Lord had used against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and they believed in the Lord and in His servant, Moses.
Isaiah’s Prophecy: A new Exodus (physical and spiritual)
But this would not be the last time in which God was gracious towards his people. God spoke to the Prophet Isaiah in Chapter 52 about a totally new exodus: Be cheerful. Shout joyfully together you ruins of Jerusalem for the Lord has comforted His people. He has redeemed Jerusalem. The Lord has bared His holy arm in the sight of all nations so that all the ends of the earth may see the salvation of our God.
Israel’s restoration as a nation and physical salvation from their enemies
Isaiah prophesied that God would restore the nation of Israel, that He would save them from their enemies, and grant them peace and security. However, this time the salvation will not only include a physical redemption. Rather, it will include a spiritual redemption reaching the whole world. And this is what Isaiah talks about in the next chapter – Chapter 53: All of us, like sheep, have gone astray. Each of us has turned to his own way. But the Lord has caused the wrongdoing of us all to fall on Him, just like the Passover lamb.
Israel’s spiritual salvation from sin
Isaiah prophesied that the Servant of the Lord would give His life to save His people. In chapter 53, the Salvation that the Servant of the Lord brings to Israel is not from Egypt or from the plague of the first born. Rather, it is the salvation from our personal sinfulness. The salvation God offers to us is from our guilt. After Isaiah describes the death of the Servant, he continues to prophesy that He would prolong His days. How can it be the only way the Servant of the Lord can prolong his days after his death is through His resurrection? No wonder that when we quote these verses to our Jewish brethren, they think we quote from the New Testament.
Messiah (the Suffering Servant of the Lord) resurrects!
But the Hebrew Bible states clearly that the Messiah had to suffer and die to redeem His people. But He doesn’t remain in the grave. He rises and grants forgiveness of sins and justifies the sinner. By the knowledge of the Righteous One, My Servant will justify the many. In I Corinthians 15, Paul boldly declares that if the Messiah has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain. Your faith also is in vain if the Messiah has not been raised. In other words, since the beginning of the faith in Yeshua, the Messiah, His resurrection stood as the cornerstone, the very foundation upon which the truth of Yeshua stands or falls. If Yeshua surely did not rise up from the dead, then His death is meaningless. We are still in Egypt without a Savior – guilty before God and slaves to sins, in bondage.
The disciples did not expect the resurrection of Yeshua. They thought and hoped that He would free Israel from the Egyptians of that time – the Romans. They thought He would strike them and drive them out of the land. They missed part of the message of the prophets. They thought that the idea of a crucified Messiah is a failing Messiah at best – or worse, a false messiah whom they would need to replace with another Moses who would deliver them from the Romans against all odds. And in contrast to their initial expectations after Yeshua’s death, something happened. The disciples began to insist that Yeshua, in fact, rose from the dead and conquered death.
Messiah (Yeshua/Jesus) – God in the flesh!
They began to proclaim their message in Jerusalem, in the very place where Yeshua was crucified and buried, where everyone could go and check if the tomb was in fact empty. Not only did they proclaim the message boldly, but they were ready and willing to suffer and even die for it. And most of them did. The significance of the resurrection is that it validates Yeshua’s message. His gospel is true. Yeshua claimed to be God Himself, who came to free us from sin, to cleanse us from our guilt and justify us. The resurrection is the proof that His radical claims about His identity and work were true. Moreover, His resurrection gives us hope and assurance that this life is not all that there is – that death is not the end.
Salvation is a free gift – claim it with faith in Yeshua/Jesus
On the basis of Yeshua’s resurrection, the New Testament proclaims that anyone who puts his faith in Him will rise up from the dead to everlasting life. But the fact is, Messiah has been raised from the dead – the first fruits of those who are asleep. For since by a man death came, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die. So also in Messiah, all will be made alive. The gift of salvation is given freely. We receive it through faith, through putting our trust in the Savior of Israel – Yeshua.
Notice that in the story of The Exodus or more specifically in the crossing of the Red Sea, the nation of Israel did not need to do anything to merit their salvation from the Egyptians. Their own power could not stop the Egyptian army. God, alone, granted them freedom and salvation. They only needed to step in faith towards the water. As the author of Hebrews puts it: By faith, they passed through the Red Sea as through dry land.
Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world
All people, Jews and Gentiles, are guilty before God and find themselves separated from Him due to their personal sinfulness. In Hebrew, the word sin comes from the same root as missing the mark. In our inherent sinfulness as humans, we miss God’s mark. But through Yeshua, His death and resurrection, He opened a new way to enter into an eternal relationship with God through faith. Yeshua was delivered over because of our wrongdoings and was raised for our justification. This relationship cannot be broken since it is established upon the perfect sacrifice of the ultimate Passover Lamb – the sacrifice of Yeshua. Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.
Today is the day of salvation
So what about you? Have you put your faith in Yeshua? If not, today is the day of salvation. If you want to receive forgiveness of sins, eternal life and a living relationship with your loving creator, simply talk to your Heavenly Father in your own words. He listens and that is the meaning of prayer. Rejoice with us for He is risen. He is risen indeed.
If you were blessed by this message, help us reach Israel and the nations with this testimony of our Messiah’s resurrection life! We’ve produced the same film in Hebrew, please pray with us for Israel’s salvation and partner today to help this message spread in Israel and around the world! One for Israel.
See how sin affects all of us by visiting SIN – Who Cares?
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