Faithful on Fridays Blog

Finding Jesus in Exodus

Have you ever been reading a novel and you lost track of the sequence of events and had to go back and find your way? How did we get here? Where does that character fit in? Well, reading the Old Testament is similar to that and since the books don’t always follow historical sequence we lose track of where we are and how we got there.

Exodus is the book of deliverance. It continues the story of the Jewish people who had been in Egypt 400 years but now we’re living in suffering and slavery. They needed to return to their promised land: Israel. Question: where do we find Jesus?

As we look carefully at Moses, God’s choice of a deliverer, we see Jesus quite clearly. Keep in mind that the Bible has a lower story and an upper story: a physical image of a spiritual reality. Moses is the lower story. He was a real man experiencing real events and was a type of Christ. Jesus is the upper story. For every event in the life of Moses we see a spiritual side. Here are a few examples of the lower and upper story in Exodus:

*Both men were born Jewish, chosen by God, and living under the suffering of a cruel leader.
*Both were hidden in Egypt as children while the ruler executed all babies born at the same time.
*Both married a Gentile bride; we are the Bride of Christ.
*Both fasted 40 days and faced a spiritual crisis on a mountain.
*Both were intricately involved in the Passover Lamb: Moses taught it, Jesus became it.
*Both communicated directly with God and became His mediators.
*Both performed miracles, chose 12 followers, and taught God’s Word.
*Both fed the people supernaturally with bread.
*Moses sent 12 spies to Israel so he could bring in the people; Jesus sent 12 apostles into the world so He could bring in the the world.
*Moses controlled the waters of the Red Sea; Jesus controlled the Sea of Galilee.
*The face of Moses shone with glory on Mt. Sinai; Jesus’ face shone with glory on the mount of Transfiguration.
*Moses lifted up a symbol of healing, the bronze serpent, in the wilderness; Jesus became that symbol and brought healing to the people.
*Moses subdued an attacking army by raising his hands high on top of a hill with two other people; Jesus subdued sin and death with His arms raised high on a hill called Golgotha with two other people.
*Moses offered his life for the salvation of the people after the golden calf; Jesus offered His life for the salvation of the world.
*Both chose people to carry on when they were leaving after they led their people to the Promised Land.

I think you get the picture. As you read through Exodus I hope you will remember Moses as a type of Christ, even in the hidden meaning of the Tabernacle furniture, and find Jesus so beautifully displayed.