PARALLEL #2: ISRAEL COULD NOT ESCAPE BONDAGE UNASSISTED--AND NEITHER CAN WE.
We know that Israel could have left Egypt at any time while Joseph still lived. They were free at that point. But, such was not the case after they were enslaved. The new Egyptian ruler set taskmasters over them to afflict them and make them serve rigorously. It was too late for them to escape now. They were helpless to return to their prior state of freedom.
The same is true of us today. After we voluntarily accept bondage to sin, we become powerless to escape. It's like putting on handcuffs when no key exists to unlock them! Once we sin, there is nothing we can do on our own to escape this bondage (cf. James 2:10). Contrary to popular thought, doing good does not atone for our transgressions (cf. Eph. 2:8,9). This spiritual bondage we cannot escape on our own leaves us with a feeling of hopelessness and despair. Paul described this predicament rather well when he wrote: "that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise having no hope, and without God in the world" (Eph. 2:12). Just as Israel could not escape their bondage without divine intervention, neither can we! They were dependent upon God for their deliverance, just as we are today.
PARALLEL #3: GOD RAISED UP A DELIVERER FOR ISRAEL--AND ONE FOR US.
This is where the thrilling story of Moses begins to unfold. He was born in Egypt during a time in which all Hebrew male children were to be put to death. Yet he was spared and raised by the Pharaoh's daughter as a child of the king! He became an outcast when he tried to help a Hebrew, and he fled to the land of Midian. He dwelt there for 40 years, but God had great plans for Moses. God had chosen him to be the deliverer of Israel. Moses would be that man, guided by God, who would break the bonds to Egypt, who would make freedom possible once again. From the burning bush experience in Exodus 3, God brought Moses back to Egypt and endued him with great power and miracles.
In like manner, while we were helpless and weak, God raised up a deliverer for us also. "For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly...God demonstrates His own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom. 5:6,8). Even while we were in sin, Christ was raised to free us from spiritual bondage. "For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God" (I Pet. 3:18). We should be so thankful and rejoice greatly that God had mercy on us in our helpless state, and sent a Deliverer, the Christ, to save us, just as He did for Israel in sending Moses.
We will continue this study in our next lesson.