Four hundred years go by, and Abraham’s descendants are now slaves in Egypt. Everything is ready for the next steps in God’s covenant with Abraham.
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, “Let my people go, that they may serve me.
Exodus 8:1 ESV
God’s covenant with Israel began when he redeemed the entire nation from slavery in Egypt. The structure of the covenant is in the Ten Commandments, found in Exodus 20. The first, and most important commandment is this:
“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.”
In order for God to live with Israel, and for Israel to be God’s covenant partner, they had to be set apart from all other nations on earth. They needed to obey God and follow his commands. Most of all they needed to put an end to idol worship. The Bible tells us over and over, that they couldn’t uphold the covenant. Even so, God readied their nation to be expecting a Messiah.
Facets of Redemption found in the Exodus and the Covenant with Israel:
- When Moses led God’s people out of slavery and into the Promised Land, he was pointing forward to a picture of Christ. In a similar way, Jesus will lead God’s people out of slavery to sin and into a new creation.
- Israel would never live up to the terms of the covenant. Nevertheless, God would keep his promise and send a redeemer through Abraham’s family.