Exodus: The Lord and His PilgrimsSample

The great do-nothing salvation

We noticed the central meaning of Exodus 14 in the note yesterday, but it is important enough to bear repeating. Just notice how the Lord is fully in charge. First, he engineers the situation (vv. 2, 9). When Israel acknowledges their need (v. 10) and the deadly danger (v. 11), and also reveals their unworthiness to have been delivered (v. 12), the Lord then undertakes the whole work of salvation (vv. 13–14). He divides the sea and knows the outcome (vv. 15–18); he moves to protect his unworthy people (vv. 19–20); he has at his command the ‘forces’ of nature (v. 20); he acts so as to guarantee Egyptian destruction (vv. 21–25); and he brings the waters back (vv. 26), both to destroy and protect (vv. 27–29). Moses sums it all up at the exact mid-point of the narrative (vv. 13–14): Israel’s inactivity (they are to remain ‘still’), the Lord’s salvation and the final end of the deadly enemy. All action is on the Lord’s part while Israel does absolutely nothing. 

This is always the Bible’s message about salvation, so succinctly summed up by Paul in three words: ‘He saved us’ (Tit. 3:5). Do you remember your school grammar lessons? The subject of a sentence performs the action (‘He saved us’); the verb describes the action (‘He saved us’); the object of a sentence receives the action (‘He saved us’). He is totally the Agent; we are totally the recipients; the action is salvation. It is his action: ‘by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God … crucified’ (Acts 2:23). It is our inaction: ‘not by works of righteousness which we have done’ (Tit. 3:5); ‘when we were dead … not of works’ (Eph. 2:5, 9). And it is for salvation: he ‘offered one sacrifice for sins forever’ (Heb. 10:12). The ‘works’ to which we are called are not preparatory to faith, nor contributory to faith, but consequent upon faith and giving evidence of faith’s reality. Salvation is by grace, through faith – and even that is ‘not of yourselves; it is the gift of God’ – but we are ‘created … for good works’ (Eph. 2:8, 10). Old and New Testaments form one Bible with one message of salvation. 

Reflection

Rejoice in this: 

‘O perfect redemption, the purchase of blood; to every believer, the promise of God. The vilest offender who truly believes that moment from Jesus a pardon receives.’ 

(Fanny Crosby, ‘To God be the glory’.)