And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn:
God sent Moses to Pharaoh with the declaration that Israel was His son, even His firstborn. He called them His son while they were still in Egypt under cruel oppression and degradation, not only after they stood in triumph beyond the Red Sea. By the name firstborn He singled them out above all peoples with special blessings and pre-eminence, to be guardians of His law and keep pure amid idolatrous nations. In calling them His son He claimed them as His own and took the cause of the oppressed as His own, demanding that Pharaoh let them go to serve Him and keep His statutes, with the warning that if he refused his own firstborn would be slain. That deliverance by the blood of the lamb points forward to the greater deliverance through God's only-begotten Son, and shows the same divine regard for all the oppressed, including the African race who are to be won to serve Him.
Israel Called God's Firstborn
The declaration was the word the Lord gave Moses to speak to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, that Israel is His son, even His firstborn. It was spoken while Israel was still in bondage to the Egyptians, and it joined the claim of sonship to the demand to let His son go that he might serve Him, with the warning that refusal would bring death to Pharaoh's own firstborn.
God called Israel His son and firstborn while the people were still in Egypt under cruel oppression, degraded, downtrodden, and suffering all that Egyptian power and ingenuity could impose to make life bitter and destroy them. He did not wait until after they had gone out and stood in triumph at the Red Sea or on its shores, for their standing as His people did not depend on first attaining freedom or triumph. By that name He claimed them as His own while they were still enslaved and afflicted under taskmasters, looking upon them in that low condition.
By the name firstborn He had singled out Israel from all peoples to be guardians and depositaries of His law, whose obedience would preserve them pure amidst idolatrous nations. He had honored them with special blessings, privileges, and pre-eminence among the nations such as are generally given to a firstborn son among his brothers. By calling Israel His son He declared that He claimed them as His own and undertook their cause before Pharaoh, taking the cause of an oppressed people as His own.
Joined to this sonship is the demand that Pharaoh let His son go that he may serve Him, sent through Moses to require their release so they might serve God. Their deliverance enabled them to observe His statutes, including the Sabbath which they could not keep while burdened with labor in Egypt. Their redemption also placed them under special obligation to keep His commandments and to show kindness to the vulnerable.
Joined to the demand is the warning that if Pharaoh refused, God would slay Pharaoh's son, even his firstborn. Pharaoh despised Israel as slaves despised even by the lowest of his people and refused to regard their God or release them. But the word God spoke in no uncertain manner does not fail or return void and accomplishes what He sends it to do, speaking with certainty.
Deliverance Remembered and Applied
The declaration that Israel is God's son, even His firstborn, belongs to the demand for release to serve Him joined to the warning that refusal would bring death to Pharaoh's own firstborn. Pharaoh repeatedly hardened his heart despite plagues, signs and wonders and terrible judgments brought upon Egypt. The conflict ended when the destroying angel was sent to slay the firstborn of man and beast among the Egyptians. Israelites were spared by placing the blood of a slain lamb on their doorposts so that the angel would pass over their homes.
That deliverance from bondage, marked by the lamb's blood on the doorposts, points forward to a greater deliverance through God's only-begotten Son, with the blood representing Christ's power to save. Israel's deliverance from the plague and the saving of its firstborn is remembered when each family presents its eldest son at the temple. That presentation ceremony kept in memory Israel's deliverance from Egypt and the saving of its firstborn during the plague.
The same divine regard shown to oppressed Israel means God cares no less for the souls of the African race and for African Americans than He cared for Israel under oppression. Like Israel they have souls to save and to be won to serve Him, so the truth must be carried to them. God requires far more missionary work among the people of the South of all classes and especially among the colored race. There is even greater obligation to labor for them than for those more highly favored, and earnest effort must be made to lift them up after so great a wrong, because much is due to them from white people. White people held them in servitude, kept them in ignorance, debased and brutalized them, forced disregard of marriage, broke up the family relation by tearing wife from husband and husband from wife, and made them degraded and repulsive in habits and manners.
God sent Moses to Pharaoh with the declaration that Israel was His son, even His firstborn. He called them His son while they were still in Egypt under cruel oppression and degradation, not only after they stood in triumph beyond the Red Sea. By the name firstborn He singled them out above all peoples with special blessings and pre-eminence, to be guardians of His law and keep pure amid idolatrous nations. In calling them His son He claimed them as His own and took the cause of the oppressed as His own, demanding that Pharaoh let them go to serve Him and keep His statutes, with the warning that if he refused his own firstborn would be slain. That deliverance by the blood of the lamb points forward to the greater deliverance through God's only-begotten Son, and shows the same divine regard for all the oppressed, including the African race who are to be won to serve Him.
Israel Called God's Firstborn
The declaration was the word the Lord gave Moses to speak to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, that Israel is His son, even His firstborn. It was spoken while Israel was still in bondage to the Egyptians, and it joined the claim of sonship to the demand to let His son go that he might serve Him, with the warning that refusal would bring death to Pharaoh's own firstborn.
God called Israel His son and firstborn while the people were still in Egypt under cruel oppression, degraded, downtrodden, and suffering all that Egyptian power and ingenuity could impose to make life bitter and destroy them. He did not wait until after they had gone out and stood in triumph at the Red Sea or on its shores, for their standing as His people did not depend on first attaining freedom or triumph. By that name He claimed them as His own while they were still enslaved and afflicted under taskmasters, looking upon them in that low condition.
By the name firstborn He had singled out Israel from all peoples to be guardians and depositaries of His law, whose obedience would preserve them pure amidst idolatrous nations. He had honored them with special blessings, privileges, and pre-eminence among the nations such as are generally given to a firstborn son among his brothers. By calling Israel His son He declared that He claimed them as His own and undertook their cause before Pharaoh, taking the cause of an oppressed people as His own.
Joined to this sonship is the demand that Pharaoh let His son go that he may serve Him, sent through Moses to require their release so they might serve God. Their deliverance enabled them to observe His statutes, including the Sabbath which they could not keep while burdened with labor in Egypt. Their redemption also placed them under special obligation to keep His commandments and to show kindness to the vulnerable.
Joined to the demand is the warning that if Pharaoh refused, God would slay Pharaoh's son, even his firstborn. Pharaoh despised Israel as slaves despised even by the lowest of his people and refused to regard their God or release them. But the word God spoke in no uncertain manner does not fail or return void and accomplishes what He sends it to do, speaking with certainty.
Deliverance Remembered and Applied
The declaration that Israel is God's son, even His firstborn, belongs to the demand for release to serve Him joined to the warning that refusal would bring death to Pharaoh's own firstborn. Pharaoh repeatedly hardened his heart despite plagues, signs and wonders and terrible judgments brought upon Egypt. The conflict ended when the destroying angel was sent to slay the firstborn of man and beast among the Egyptians. Israelites were spared by placing the blood of a slain lamb on their doorposts so that the angel would pass over their homes.
That deliverance from bondage, marked by the lamb's blood on the doorposts, points forward to a greater deliverance through God's only-begotten Son, with the blood representing Christ's power to save. Israel's deliverance from the plague and the saving of its firstborn is remembered when each family presents its eldest son at the temple. That presentation ceremony kept in memory Israel's deliverance from Egypt and the saving of its firstborn during the plague.
The same divine regard shown to oppressed Israel means God cares no less for the souls of the African race and for African Americans than He cared for Israel under oppression. Like Israel they have souls to save and to be won to serve Him, so the truth must be carried to them. God requires far more missionary work among the people of the South of all classes and especially among the colored race. There is even greater obligation to labor for them than for those more highly favored, and earnest effort must be made to lift them up after so great a wrong, because much is due to them from white people. White people held them in servitude, kept them in ignorance, debased and brutalized them, forced disregard of marriage, broke up the family relation by tearing wife from husband and husband from wife, and made them degraded and repulsive in habits and manners.