Aug 21
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New Testament Reading: Matthew 2
“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.’ When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’ Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, ‘Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.’ After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way. Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.’ And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, ‘Out of Egypt I called my son.’ Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: ‘A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.’ But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, ‘Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.’ And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.” (Matthew 2, ESV)
Old Testament Reading: Hosea 11
“When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. The more they were called, the more they went away; they kept sacrificing to the Baals and burning offerings to idols. Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk; I took them up by their arms, but they did not know that I healed them. I led them with cords of kindness, with the bands of love, and I became to them as one who eases the yoke on their jaws, and I bent down to them and fed them. They shall not return to the land of Egypt, but Assyria shall be their king, because they have refused to return to me. The sword shall rage against their cities, consume the bars of their gates, and devour them because of their own counsels. My people are bent on turning away from me, and though they call out to the Most High, he shall not raise them up at all. How can I give you up, O Ephraim? How can I hand you over, O Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I treat you like Zeboiim? My heart recoils within me; my compassion grows warm and tender. I will not execute my burning anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim; for I am God and not a man, the Holy One in your midst, and I will not come in wrath. They shall go after the LORD; he will roar like a lion; when he roars, his children shall come trembling from the west; they shall come trembling like birds from Egypt, and like doves from the land of Assyria, and I will return them to their homes, declares the LORD. Ephraim has surrounded me with lies, and the house of Israel with deceit, but Judah still walks with God and is faithful to the Holy One.” (Hosea 11, ESV)
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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.
Introduction
The thing that I have attempted to do in these three introductory sermons is to properly situate the Exodus event in the overall story of redemption that is told in the pages of Holy Scripture. The story of the Exodus is a marvelous story, but it is bound to be misunderstood if we only pay attention to a part of it, or if we ignore what happened beforehand and afterward. Yes, we may tell the story of baby Moses in the basket, of God speaking to Moses in the burning bush, of the ten plagues, and of the parting of the Red Sea — yes, that story of the deliverance of Israel from Egyptian bondage is a wonderful story, and it must be told — but it is one thing to tell the story, it is another thing to understand its meaning and significance. Were the Hebrews rescued by God from the iron furnace of Egypt? Yes. But why? For what purpose? To what end? To understand the meaning of the Exodus event we must consider the whole story (not just our favorite parts). And we must consider the whole story in the context of the rest of Holy Scripture. This is why we asked, what happened?, in the first introductory sermon, what happened before?, in the second, and now we ask, what happened afterward?
What happened at the time of the Exodus? In brief, the Hebrew people were rescued from Egyptian bondage, God gave them his law on the mountain and entered into a covenant with them, and he tabernacled in the midst of them so that the people might enjoy his presence, worship and serve him. That is the story that is told in the book of Exodus.
What happened before? We must not forget the garden, man’s fall into sin and its consequences, the first promise of the gospel announced by God in Adam’s presence, and especially the precious and very great promises that were given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. A great multitude would descend from Abraham. Nations would come from him. Kings would arise in his land. His people experience bondage, but they would be redeemed and brought into their own land. In due time one would descend from Abraham who would bring God’s blessing to all of the nations of the earth, and not just to the nation of Israel. We cannot forget this backstory, brothers and sisters. The backstory is told in Genesis. If we wish to understand Exodus, we must first understand Genesis, for Exodus is simply a continuation of the story that is told there. Genesis is prologue. Exodus is chapter one of the story that is told in the Old Testament which has its focus set on the nation of Israel.
Today we will look in the opposite direction. We will not be considering what preceded the Exodus event, but what proceeded from it. This task is a bit more challenging. As you can see, there are many, many more pages in the Bible after Exodus than before it. But this exercise will be very illuminating, for it will reveal that the Old Testament scriptures themselves looked forward to a greater Exodus in the future. And of course, this is the perspective of the New Testament. The New Testament speaks of Moses as great, but of Jesus Christ as greater. The New Testament speaks of the Covenant that was transacted with Israel as good, but of the New Covenant ratified in Christ blood as far superior. Yes, the New Testament (just like the Old) looks back upon the Exodus event as a great and marvelous act of redemption, a demonstration of the glory, power, and covenantal faithfulness of God, but it also sees the Exodus event as a picture of the greater act of deliverance accomplished by Christ Jesus.
I’ve taken three sermons to make this point because this point is so very crucial to a proper interpretation of the Exodus event in particular and to the story of redemption in general, and yet so many fail to see it.
The point that I am so concerned to make can be summed up in this way: The Exodus was a real historical event; it was a significant part of God’s program of redemption, but do not misunderstand this, it was not the main event. It was a type of a greater act of redemption that would be accomplished later. It was like a preview, therefore. It was like a mock trial, an exercise, if you will. Or, to say it as I did in the previous sermon, in the Exodus a battle was was, but not the war. Christ Jesus won the war in his life, death, burial, and resurrection. “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13–14, ESV). At the Exodus, an earthly and temporary deliverance was accomplished, but through Christ, we have spiritual deliverance and the promise of life eternal.
Why am I so concerned to make this point?
Positively, it is so that our appreciation for the deliverance that is ours in Christ Jesus would grow during our study of the book of Exodus, and not diminish. If we fail to see the Exodus as an earthly picture of the spiritual and eternal redemption that is ours in Christ Jesus, then we will lose sight of the gospel during our study. But if we see the Exodus as we should — as a type of something greater that happened later — then we will appreciate both what God did for the Hebrews to deliver them from Egyptian bondage, and especially what God has done for his elect in every age to deliver them from the power of sin, Satan, and the fear of death.
Negatively, I am concerned to make this point to help protect the church from error.
Three common errors come to mind:
One, the error of dispensationalism tends to view God’s dealings with the Hebrew people as ultimate. These may read the Exodus story and forget that God redeemed Israel in order to do something through them, namely, to bring the Messiah into the world so that all the nations of the earth would be blessed in him. We will be guarded against the error of dispensationalism if we keep in mind what happened before and after the Exodus event. Old Covenant Israelite must be viewed, not as an end, but the means; not as the goal of redemption, but God’s tool; not as the terminus, but the conduit of God’s salvation to all the nations of the earth. Viewing the Exodus event as typological is key to avoiding the dispensational error.
Two, the error of liberation theology tends to view the earthly, social, and political, deliverance of Israel from Egyptian oppression as ultimate. The weak, marginalized, and oppressed Hebrews were delivered by God from the powerful, harsh, and oppressive Egyptians and so many in our day assume that this is God’s leading concern, to liberate the oppressed. Of course, God is concerned for the oppressed. He is concerned with matters of justice. This cannot be denied. But we must remember that God was doing something far greater when he set the Hebrew slaves free. Remembering what happened before and after the Exodus will keep us from reducing God’s program of redemption down to mere earthly, social, and political, deliverance. In fact, paying attention to the whole story of the Exodus will keep us from this error, for God did not merely set Israel free, he did all set them apart as his holy people, give them his law, enter into covenant with them, and dwell in the midst of them. This story is not merely about freedom from oppression, therefore.
Three, the error of theonomy tends to view the law that God gave to Old Covenant Israel as binding upon all governments, and not Old Covenant Israel only. Of course, the moral law which is summarized in the Ten Commandments is binding upon all individuals. It is by that law that all men will be judged on the last day, if not in Christ. But God also gave Israel civil laws. And theonomists believe, to one degree or another, that those civil laws are to be taken up and enforced by all governments even to this present day. Theonomy is a serious error, and it is growing in popularity amongst the Reformed today. Remembering that God was doing something very special and unique in and through Old Covenant Israel will help to guard us against the theonomic error. God rescued Israel from Egyptian bondage and entered into a special covenant with them. They were set apart from all nations as a holy people. Many of the civil laws, and all of the ceremonial laws that were imposed upon them by God, were unique to them. Common nations may learn from these laws as they seek to build a just society. But there were some laws given to Israel that ought not be enforced by common governments of the past, present, or future. False prophets and idolaters were to be put to death in Old Covenant Israel; not so in the United States of America. More on that another time. For now, remember that what God was doing in and through Old Covenant Israel was unique and for a time. The dispensationalist and theonomists tend to forget this both in their own way.
So then, three sermons have been devoted to setting the stage for our study through Exodus. By considering what happened in the Exodus event, what happened before, and what happened afterward, we will enter into the Exodus story prepared, knowing that God’s dealings with Israel were very significant in the accomplishment of our redemption from sin, Satan, and death, but that redemption was accomplished by Christ.
So what happened after the Exodus? That is a very big question. The rest of the scriptures from Exodus through Revelation tell the story. But I think I can summarize it for you in five parts.
One, the promises made to Abraham regarding many descendants, the land of Canaan, and Kings, were all fulfilled.
Two, because Israel broke the terms of the covenant of works that God made with them through Moses, they were eventually expelled from the land.
Three, it was during the Babylonian captivity that expectations of a future and greater Exodus grew.
Four, in the fullness of time the Messiah emerged from Israel and accomplished our redemption. God has “delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us” into his kingdom. In him “we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13–14).
Five, from the resurrection of Christ from the dead on to this present day, the people of God await the consummation of all things: the new heavens and earth, the new Jerusalem, the kingdom of glory.
Please allow me to demonstrate each of these points from scripture before suggesting some application.
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The Promises Made To Abraham Regarding Many Descendants, The Land of Canaan,
And Kings, Were All Fulfilled
One, the promises made to Abraham regarding many descendants, the land of Canaan, and Kings, were all fulfilled after the Exodus.
The people were delivered from Egyptian bondage through the Red Sea. They received God’s law at Sinai. They entered into covenant with God, saying, “All the words that the LORD has spoken we will do” (Exodus 24:3, ESV), God provided for them in the wilderness as they journeyed towards Canaan, the land of promise. But because of lack of faith, that generation did not enter in. It was in the days of Joshua that Israel took the land. And after the conquest, Joshua said, “Thus the LORD gave to Israel all the land that he swore to give to their fathers. And they took possession of it, and they settled there. And the LORD gave them rest on every side just as he had sworn to their fathers. Not one of all their enemies had withstood them, for the LORD had given all their enemies into their hands. Not one word of all the good promises that the LORD had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass” (Joshua 21:43–45, ESV). So then, it was in Joshua’s day, shortly after the death of Moses, that the promises of God made to Abraham regarding a great multitude of his descendants occupying Canaan, were fulfilled.
And we know that after the time of the Judges Kings were appointed in Israel and anointed by God. Saul was the first King of Israel, but he was of the people and not of the Lord. David was God’s choice, he being a man after God’s own heart. And from him, many kings did descend. This was in fulfillment to the promise God made to Abraham, saying, “I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you” (Genesis 17:6, ESV).
So then, after the Exodus, the promises made to Abraham regarding many descendants, the land of Canaan, and Kings, were all fulfilled.
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Because Israel Broke The Terms Of The Covenant Of Works That God Made With Them Through Moses, They Were Eventually Expelled From The Land
Two, because Israel broke the terms of the covenant of works that God made with them through Moses, they were eventually expelled from the land.
The dispensationalists fail to recognize points one and two with regard to Israel’s ongoing right to Canaan. Now, I am speaking theologically here, and not politically. I’ll admit that the two things are related. But here I am merely saying that it is illegitimate to argue for Israel’s present-day right to Canaan from the promises made to Abraham in Genesis.
Remember what Joshua said not long after the death of Moses regarding the land: “the LORD gave them rest on every side just as he had sworn to their fathers. Not one of all their enemies had withstood them, for the LORD had given all their enemies into their hands. Not one word of all the good promises that the LORD had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass”. So then, Old Covenant Israel received what was promised to them.
And furthermore, the covenant that God transacted with Abraham, and later Israel through Moses, put conditions on the continued enjoyment of the land that was promised to them. God spoke to Abraham saying, “Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant” (Genesis 17:14, ESV). And to Israel, he said, “You shall therefore keep all my statutes and all my rules and do them, that the land where I am bringing you to live may not vomit you out. And you shall not walk in the customs of the nation that I am driving out before you, for they did all these things, and therefore I detested them. But I have said to you, ‘You shall inherit their land, and I will give it to you to possess, a land flowing with milk and honey.’ I am the LORD your God, who has separated you from the peoples” (Leviticus 20:22–24, ESV). So you see, the covenant that God made with Abraham and later Israel made the continual possession of Canaan conditional. Remaining in the land was conditioned upon obedience. And this is why God was not unfaithful when he cast the Northern kingdom of Israel away never to return, and later sent the southern kingdom of Judah into Babylonian captivity. God was not unfaithful, the people were.
But you will reply by saying, but didn’t God promise Abraham that he would have Canaan as an everlasting inheritance? Yes, he did! Listen carefully to those words! God spoke to Abraham saying, “I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God” (Genesis 17:6–8, ESV). All who have the God of Abraham as their God by faith have the land of Canaan as an everlasting possession. And what did Abraham think when God spoke those words to him? The New Testament makes it clear. Abraham “was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.” (Hebrews 11:10, ESV). In other words, Abraham was looking forward to “a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city” (Hebrews 11:16, ESV).
The point is this: After the Exodus God kept his unconditional promises regarding the land when he brought Israel into Canaan in the days of Joshua. Israel’s continued enjoyment of the land was conditioned upon their obedience. They were disobedient. And so God was not wrong to expel them from the land. But he brought them back in after 70 years, for the promised Messiah had not yet come.
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It Was During The Babylonian Captivity That Expectations Of A Future And Greater Exodus Grew
Three, it was during the Babylonian captivity that expectations of a future and greater Exodus grew ever more pronounced.
Exodus themes can be found throughout Isaiah. He ministered prior to the Babylonian captivity. But they are especially prominent in Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and other prophets who ministered during the time of captivity and afterward.
It is not hard to imagine why expectations of a future and greater Exodus would grow at this time. The faithful of Israel would have known for sure that their hope should not be set in the first Exodus, in the covenant that God made with them in the days of Moses, or in the kings of Israel. They had failed! No, the faithful of Israel were at this time keenly aware of the fact that God had promised that one greater than Abraham, Moses, and David would come. He would accomplish a greater act of redemption (Exodus). He would establish a new and better covenant, and so the prophets who ministered at this time did consistently point to that.
Jeremiah 31:31 is probably the most famous of such texts. Jeremiah ministered during the captivity, and he spoke words of hope, saying, “Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more” (Jeremiah 31:31–34, ESV).
The first covenant that Jerimiah referred to was the one that God transacted with Israel when he redeemed them from Egypt. But the prophet said that a new and better covenant would come. How would God establish this New Covenant? Through the Messiah and the work of redemption that he would accomplish. The rest of Jeremiah makes that clear.
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In The Fullness Of Time, The Messiah Emerged From Israel And Accomplished Our Redemption
Fourthly, after the Exodus and in the fullness of time the Messiah emerged from Israel and accomplished our redemption. God has “delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us” into his kingdom. In him “we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13–14).
Exodus themes permeate the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke and the books of Acts. By that, I mean that the ministry of Jesus Christ is often described using Exodus language and themes. The New Testament writers, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, clearly want us to make the connection between the first Exodus and the second. They want us to see that the first Exodus was an earthly picture of the spiritual and eternal exodus accomplished by Christ.
At the beginning of this sermon, I read from Hosea 11 and Matthew 2. The connection between those texts has always fascinated me. In Hosea 11:1 the prophet seems to speak of the first Exodus when he says, “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son” (Hosea 11:1, ESV). But Matthew quotes that passage saying that it was fulfilled when Jesus was brought out of Egypt by his parents after being sheltered there for a time.
His parents took Jesus to Egypt to flee from Herod. He was preserved there for a time. And after receiving word from God, they returned from Egypt to Israel. And Matthew says, “This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, ‘Out of Egypt I called my son.’” He is referring to Hosea 11:1.
Isn’t that marvelous? Matthew makes the connection for us. Yes, the people of Israel were preserved for a time in Egypt. There they grew into a great multitude. And from there they were brought out by the mighty hand of God. But even more significantly, the Messiah was preserved through them. He was sheltered like a seed in a husk within Israel. The Christ was carried along in the womb of Israel. So when Israel was brought out of Egypt, it was the Christ who was brought out. And when the Christ did finally emerge from the womb of Israel, his life followed the same path as Israel’s path, and of Moses’ path. Jesus Christ went down into Egypt for a time. There he was preserved, and from there he led out and into the land of Canaan. This is how Matthew could pick up that passage from Hosea 11:1 and say, “This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, ‘Out of Egypt I called my son.’”
I know this Matthew 2 passage is relatively obscure when compared to other passages which contain Exodus themes — for example, Jesus transfigured on the mountain with Moses and Elijah, or Jesus referring to himself as manna from heaven, or John insistence that the rock from which Israel drank in the wilderness was Christ! — but here is the point: Jesus Christ is the true Israel of God. He is the one who is greater than Moses. He has “delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us” into his kingdom. In him “we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13–14).
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From The Resurrection Of Christ From The Dead On To This Present Day, The People Of God Await The Consummation Of All Things: The New Heavens And Earth, The New Jerusalem, The Kingdom Of Glory
Fifthly, and lastly, from the resurrection of Christ from the dead on to this present day, the people of God await the consummation of all things: the new heavens and earth, the new Jerusalem, the kingdom of glory.
This is the great hope of the new covenant people of God. As Peter the Apostle says, “But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13, ESV). Any theological system which urges its followers to hope for something other than the “new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells”, is out of step with the teaching of scripture. No, we are not waiting for a future and earthly millennium. We do not long for a return to Old Covenant Israel, to Canaan, or to the temple which was constructed there. Those things were shadows. The substance has come. And the substance is Christ. He has not rescued us from Egypt to bring us to Canaan. He has delivered us from Satan’s kingdom to bring us into his heavenly kingdom. Let us not forget that, brothers and sisters.
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Conclusion
So what happened after the Exodus?
One, the promises made to Abraham regarding many descendants, the land of Canaan, and Kings, were all fulfilled.
Two, because Israel broke the terms of the covenant of works that God made with them through Moses, they were eventually expelled from the land.
Three, it was during the Babylonian captivity that expectations of a future and greater Exodus grew.
Four, in the fullness of time the Messiah emerged from Israel and accomplished our redemption. God has “delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us” into his kingdom. In him “we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13–14).
Five, from the resurrection of Christ from the dead on to this present day, the people of God await the consummation of all things: the new heavens and earth, the new Jerusalem, the kingdom of glory.
The suggestion for application that I have for you is this: learn to think of the redemption that is yours in Christ Jesus as spiritual and heavenly. Yes, the benefits that are yours in Christ will certainly impact your life on this earth, and yes, God is concerned with your earthly needs, but Jesus died to set you from bondage to sin, Satan, and death. He died and rose again to deliver you from the kingdom of darkness and to transfer you into his kingdom of light.
If you are in Christ, therefore, you have been set free from bondage to sin.
If you are Christ, you now have a different king, Christ the Lord.
If you are Christ, you live now for a different purpose, the glory of God.
If you are in Christ, your hope is not to be set in the things of this world, but in the world to come.
The church is the assembly of those who have been redeemed. As Peter says, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.” (1 Peter 2:9–12, ESV)
