“I even have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I even have remembered my covenant. Therefore, say to the Israelites:
‘I’m the LORD, and
– I’ll bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.
– I’ll free you from being slaves to them, and
– I’ll redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment.
– I’ll take you as my very own people, and I might be your God.
Then you’ll know that I’m the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.” – Exodus 6:5-7
Jewish tradition states that the 4 cups represent the 4 elements of redemption listed in these verses from Exodus:
1. I’ll bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.
This is the primary stage of liberation—the sensible and actual rescue from captivity. It is the physical transition out of Egypt and towards the Promised Land. As believers, we will see that when Yeshua paid for our sin on the cross, we were made free from condemnation, and might start our journey of a life walking with God. The undeniable fact that the Jewish people went through water may additionally parallel the believer’s baptism as a part of the liberation process.
2. I’ll free you from being slaves to them.
This second stage is more about mental liberation. Even when freed, humans and animals can sometimes still act as in the event that they will not be. Sometimes, this is known as institutionalization. We get so used to living in a cage, we don’t know easy methods to walk in freedom. Here, God guarantees to free Israel of the slave mindset, and we, too, should be liberated from a mind that has been in bondage to sin. We need to grasp increasingly that we actually are free and learn easy methods to live accordingly.
3. I’ll redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment.
The Exodus story is stuffed with the supernatural. I often wonder if these miracles happened today, what we’d think… are we willing to just accept God in all His supernatural wonder? His mighty outstretched arm? Some of the miracles and judgments are hard to just accept—especially when seen from the angle of the unusual Egyptian. This is our God: mighty in wonders, unfathomable, unstoppable, and in contrast to anything we could possibly understand. But that is our rescuer. He wants us to embrace Him and His redemption, and let Him resolve how things have to be done.
4. I’ll take you as my very own people, and I might be your God.
The ultimate goal is a relationship. God wants intimacy with His people. The desert will be seen to represent walking in intimacy with God, and actually, God looks back at the moment right after the exodus as something of a honeymoon with His people:
“This is what the LORD says:“‘I remember the devotion of your youth, how as a bride you really liked me and followed me through the wilderness, through a land not sown. Israel was holy to the LORD, the firstfruits of His harvest.” – Jeremiah 2:1-3
“Therefore I’m now going to allure her; I’ll lead her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her. There I’ll give her back her vineyards, and can make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. There she is going to respond as in the times of her youth, as within the day she got here up out of Egypt.” – Hosea 2:14-15
A pastor once said, “A dessert is something you wish and don’t need, however the dessert is something you don’t want, but you do need.” Desert life isn’t easy, however it’s often where our walk with God gets deeper and more intimate. One day, we might be within the promised place of ultimate rest, but until then, life with God isn’t all the time going to be a walk within the park. It’s a time to find out about our rescuer and grow in our ability and willingness to trust, love, and follow Him. We are with Him, and He is with us. We are His people, and He is our God. We are bonded in a relationship, and that’s our joy and His.
Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/ K. Mitch Hodge
