"Out of Egypt, I called my son". Hosea 11.1
Egypt - a arid, dry place which, in spite of all its palatial magnificence, built much of its power on oppression and slavery. Not exactly what we would deem an ideal region, then, for something truly magnificent.
Yet it was from here, after the terrors of Herod had been extinguished, that Mary and Jospeh brought the hope of the world to reside in the sleepy backwater of Nazareth until He was ready to change everywhere forever.
The Exodus from that land - the original 'calling out', which had been previewed by Abraham, shows us exactly how the Lord brings good out of what we would only deem as bad. As those who had been 'covered over' (by their participation in a spotless Lamb and the placarding of its blood) faced the fury of Pharaoh's pursuing army and the seemingly impassible boundary of the sea, the Lord once more came and fought for them, ending both threats so they could go over on dry land.
That moment resounds in the words of Paul in Romans 6. The same waters which had delivered these helpless souls from their bondage drown what remained of the powers which had incarcerated them for so long - they were now on the road to a land where their great true hope would be the provision of the Lord.
The struggle, of course, wasn't anywhere near over (hence, Romans 7!). In the wilderness, they would take another generation to learn to look beyond themselves, even amidst miracles and constant daily provision, and old troubles would re-surface, but the vital change had been made, and that would lead them to a closeness to the Lord of all that was unparalleled in the history of the ancient world.
What was true in days of old is equally true for us, Paul shows in Romans. Egypt is our past and the promised land our future, so as we travel through what surrounds us, let us lift our eyes to the Creator and Redeemer who brought His Son out of that place to save us now.
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