◄ What Does Leviticus 26:13 Mean? ►

The Lord our God is unknowable and yet in a wonderful way, He has made Himself known to the children of men. He started to reveal Himself to Adam at the dawn of time and thus began the ongoing unveiling of Himself to humanity.

He slowly started to reveal each of His attributes, in different ways, to various people. It was an unveiling of His nature, a revealing of His attributes to human-kind, and a gradual revealing of His plan of redemption. It was a revelation that started at the door of Eden, and a truth that culminated with the coming of Christ and the revelation of Jesus, the Son of God.

At creation, God spoke the world into being through His powerful Word, and in the fullness of time, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. The Lord first spoke to man when He walked with him in the cool of the evening, and His final revelation to us is articulated through the person and work of Jesus Christ, the incarnate Word. He is the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Who is God made flesh.

To Moses and the children of Israel, He proclaimed, "I Am Who I Am", and by His mighty strength and gracious kindness He brought them out from their lengthy slavery in the land of Egypt, at the start of their long trek through the wilderness. And this great show of His omnipotent strength, divine power, and gracious love, was used by God for centuries as a reminder to Israel that He is the Lord their God and their trustworthy Deliverer.

It was after the children of Israel were redeemed from Egyptian slavery that God revealed Himself to His people, and pronounced abundant blessings on them, if they would hearken to His voice and obey His commands, "I am the LORD your God, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt, so that you would not be their slaves," He reminded them,  "I broke the bars of your yoke and I made you walk erect."

For 400 years the Egyptians enslaved Israel. But God had made a promise to their forefather Abraham. "Know this for certain,"  Abraham was told, "Your offspring will be foreigners in a land that does not belong to them. They will be enslaved and oppressed for 400 years. However, I will judge the nation, and afterward, they will go out with many possessions."

God was true to His promises to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Israel, and they were rescued from slavery, redeemed by the blood of the lamb on that first Passover night. They were brought out of the land of Egypt and the bars on their yokes, that had enchained them for so long, were shattered, and once more they were free to walk upright and in freedom.

And the God Who showed His faithfulness to Israel in Egypt, is the same God Who has rescued us from Satan's cruel bondage. He is the same Lord Who redeemed us from the slave-market of sin and rescued us from the fetters that enchained us. He is the same precious Saviour Who died to set us free from slavery to sin and the chains of death.

We too have been rescued from the kingdom of darkness and transferred into the kingdom of His dear Son. God's character never changes for He is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and the lessons He taught the children of Israel in time past are the lessons He continues to teach His children in this present church age.

It is not simply knowing about Him that is important, but coming to a personal knowledge of Him, in a close and intimate way. It is enjoying fellowship with Him. It is trusting His Word. It is depending on Him as our sole Supplier, great Deliverer, and everlasting Father. He is the same God Who loved the world so much that He sent His only begotten Son into the world - to make Himself known to us, through Jesus Christ the righteous Man.

So, when times are hard, and we are tempted to doubt His Word of truth - how important to recollect Who He is and how He lifted us up from life's miry pit, through the perfect Sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us recall how He placed us, by grace through faith, into His family forever, and remember His Word of truth, "I AM the Lord Who brought you forth."

Loving Father, thank You that Your Word is true, and You are my Deliverer in this world of sin and evil. Help me to fix my eyes on Jesus, Your living Word and my glorious Redeemer. When my mind is tempted to stray from You, I pray that I will call to remembrance all that You are and all that You have done for me. Enable me to point others to You. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.