"Let My Son Go"

Exodus 4:18-31

When Moses is to speak for God, he would not just be saying, “let my people go…” but “let my son go.”  Israel was to be God’s firstborn son.  Moses was instructed to warn Pharoah, “my firstborn for your firstborn.”  Pharaoh at that time was considered God and the battle that was to take place was to be  demonstration of who the true deity was in the world—Yahweh or Pharaoh.  Moses was to warn Pharaoh about the specialness of the firstborn and the consequences of enslaving Yahweh’s first bornn.  

Yet, as we said, Moses couldn’t speak on behalf of God’s firstborn son if he hadn’t set apart his own firstborn son.  The sign of the agreement between God and Israel was 

signed by man through the sign of the covenant.  Since his son was away while they were born, he was never circumcised.  So that needed to be done.  Circumcision produced blood and that blood was the sign that distinguished Israel from the nations.  That blood was needed for Moses’ to cover the offense of trying free God’s firstborn while ignoring the sign of freedom for his firstborn. 

In the ultimate release of the Hebrews from slavery, blood would be used on their doors to mark them as different (free) from the Egyptians.  That sign was a protection; for eventually the angel of the Lord came and claimed the first-born children that God promised for Pharaoh’s resistance.  The blood set apart God’s people as holy to Him and protected them amidst the battle between Yahweh and Pharaoh.  

The blood of Jesus, God’s perfect, true firstborn son of creation(Col 1:15) still protects us in the battle between God’s Kingdom and the kingdom’s of darkness in this world.  It sets us apart as holy.  It declares us as separated unto God.  Dark forces and Satan cannot control us because the blood of Christ has broken us free from their power.  Because of Jesus’ blood, we are made holy in God’s sight. Because of his blood, we are able to grow in realizing that holiness because we don’t need to purchase ourselves into forgiveness, but we can live in that forgiveness as dearly loved children.  That is freedom.