Nov 10, 2019 Jeremiah 31:27-40 10|13
There is beginning to be a pattern of comparing the Exodus of God’s people out of slavery and into freedom to the return of God’s people from exile back into their homeland and into freedom.
This makes sense since both events of deliverance similarly came with amazing displays of God’s power as God’s people were being held captive by the most powerful world empire at the time. The Egyptians and the Babylonians appeared to be unstoppable, invincible forces in their context of human history.
The two scenarios unfolded slightly differently all the while achieving the same ends. The Egyptians were undone by God bringing guided forces of nature to bear against Egypt in the form of plagues until it relented, then ultimately being decimated in the flood of the Red Sea. The Babylonians were quickly neutralized by God at the hands of the Persians, an even greater empire than the Chaldean empire of Babylon. The Persians became the perfect tool in the hands of Yahweh as the means to see His will done regarding His people. At the appointed time, God would fulfill a prophecy in moving the Persian king Cyrus to initiate the return of His people back into their place of blessing and freedom. In doing so, it was miraculous that such a freedom, reestablishing and a migration of a people of hundreds of miles would be allowed by and encouraged by the Persians, and even financed by them. But it happened some 1,000 years after the exodus, the return also happened.
Theses amazing displays of power by God in history on behalf of freeing His people would then be overshadowed by His ultimate act of deliverance. At the right time, some 500 years later, God Himself would come into this world, in the flesh, to once and for all deliver His people from their ultimate enslavement – sin. He chose to do this in the historical context of an even greater far reaching world power, the Roman empire. And this time, the power He put on display was not to overwhelm or align the wills of man for His purposes, but to demonstrate the power of the kingdom of God, by dying and resurrecting from the dead to conquer the ultimate enemies of sin and death. And it all happened under the watchful eye of Rome.
And this time, deliverance and freedom was achieved once - and for all. For all who believe and are willing to receive it, they would receive the right to become children of God, freed from the power of sin and death – they would all be made new creations.
John 1:11,12; 2 Corinthians 5:17
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