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For 430 years the Jews were oppressed in Egypt. Masters were put over them to torment them with hardships, they were subjected to hard labor, their lives were bitter, and any work they did for the Egyptians was harsh (Exodus 11-14). They were really living a very hard life, and when Moses came, sent by God with a message of deliverance, Scripture tells us that they did not believe him.
Exodus 6:9 (NKJV)
9 Moses said these words to the children of Israel, but they did not take it into account because of the despair of their spirit and their terrible bondage.
They were slaves, that’s how they were born, their parents had been slaves, their grandparents had been slaves, their ancestors too, that was all they knew, all they lived, all their thinking was focused on work, hard and hard work, not for them, but for others. No matter how hard they worked, they still didn’t have the things they needed for a normal life. They were tormented, exhausted, discouraged and hopeless about their future. By the power of God, Moses brought them out of Egypt, but he could not bring Egypt out of their hearts. The 40-year journey through the desert clearly showed what the people thought and how little they trusted in the God who worked miracles for them every day. They would rather return to Egypt, to evil, than go forward toward good, because they could only see themselves as slaves.
God tells these people that He will take them and put them in a very good country, where “milk and honey” flows, a country where they will not have to work because they will receive everything without their effort, a territory in which they will enter only if they trusted in His promise.
Deuteronomy 6:10-11 (NKJV)
10 ā¦ the Lord your God brings you into the land of which He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you large and beautiful cities which you did not build,
11 houses full of all good things, which you did not fill, hewn-out wells which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant.
It was like a dream for them, perfect and wonderful, but too beautiful to be true! That is, to have everything without them doing anything?! All they had to do was believe in God and get into everything that was already prepared, without working hard to deserve it ?! They had always received only threats, insults, beatings and work rules, even if they worked hard the masters were still dissatisfied and demanded even more, no one had given them anything good, they were slaves in a foreign country, would it be possible to receive such a grace?! Yes, God wanted them to learn to change the slave mindset to a free, victorious, and powerful mindset. In Leviticus 26:13, God tells them:
Leviticus 26:13 (NKJV)
13 āI am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that you should not be their slaves; I have broken the bands of your yoke and made you walk upright.ā
Just as a part of the Jewish people entered the Promised Land only by believing in God’s promise and settled in a land worked by others, so we can enter and remain in all that Jesus Christ did in the finished work from cross. For us it is free, but it cost Him a lot, a price that no man can estimate! This is the gospel, there is nothing to add to it and nothing to subtract because Jesus has paid for everything and invites us to enter into all that He has prepared for us. It’s good news, very good news, the best that can exist, so good that people can’t or don’t want to believe it, because they can’t conceive that their work, their moral deeds, their worth are not needed to gain the goodwill of God.
Ephesians 2:8 (NKJV)
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.
He who has this revelation lives on earth with divine authority (Romans 5:17).
The word translated “salvation” is “sozo” in the original Greek, which means: forgiven, saved, healed, released, protected, defended, completed (made whole) and kept safe. It is complete, complete, perfect, absolute, covering all aspects of the human being – spirit, soul and body. In 2 Samuel 23:5, King David, a man who lived before Christ but understood the heart of God, writes: He has made an eternal covenant with me (an eternal alliance, immortal) well done in all areas (organized and safe, well adjusted at all points) and well guarded (providing full safety). Will He not cause all that is to my salvation and joy to spring from it? ā(Paraphrased).
In the book of Hebrews, the Promised Land is called a place of rest (Hebrews 3:16 ā 4:3), of full blessing, in which everything is already prepared, in which one enters and remains by faith. Today, this place is the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ, He is our peace, the Sabbath in which a believer rests every day; those who believe are in Him and He is alive in those who receive Him as Lord and Savior. From this position and attitude of the heart, then come all the good deeds that God has called us to walk in them (Ephesians 2:10). Any religion requires you to do good deeds to be accepted by the divinity and so you may get something from it, but a true Christian does these deeds because he has a relationship with the living God, already has grace in his life and is led by Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 1:18 (NKJV)
18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved (forgiven, saved, healed, released, protected, defended and kept safe) it is the power of God.
John 3:17 (NKJV)
17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved (forgiven, saved, healed, released, protected, defended and kept safe).
1 Timothy 2:3ā4 (NKJV)
3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,
4 who desires all men to be saved (forgiven, saved, healed, released, protected, defended and kept safe) and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
Romans 10:13 (NKJV)
13 For āwhoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved (forgiven, saved, healed, released, protected, defended and kept safe).ā
Are you still dependent on your efforts or are you resting in Christ? Do you live a form of religion that is empty, dry, fruitless, without any joy, or are you in a living and healthy relationship with the Spirit of God? Do you see yourself as one who works and pulls hard to get at least a shred of blessing from the Most High and Holy One, or do you enjoy His undeserved favor and He is a good Father, full of unconditional love for you? As you perceive God, so is your experience, what you believe about Him will guide your actions. The promise of rest is still valid today for any person:
Matthew 11:28ā30 (NKJV)
28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.ā
