Exodus 4:18-31 Moses went back to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, “Please let me go back to my brothers in Egypt to see whether they are still alive.” And Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.” ¹⁹ And the Lord said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for all the men who were seeking your life are dead.” ²⁰ So Moses took his wife and his sons and had them ride on a donkey, and went back to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the staff of God in his hand.

²¹ And the Lord said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the miracles that I have put in your power. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go. ²² Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord, Israel is my firstborn son, ²³ and I say to you, “Let my son go that he may serve me.” If you refuse to let him go, behold, I will kill your firstborn son.’”

²⁴ At a lodging place on the way the Lord met him and sought to put him to death. ²⁵ Then Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son’s foreskin and touched Moses’ feet with it and said, “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me!” ²⁶ So he let him alone. It was then that she said, “A bridegroom of blood,” because of the circumcision.

²⁷ The Lord said to Aaron, “Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.” So he went and met him at the mountain of God and kissed him. ²⁸ And Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord with which he had sent him to speak, and all the signs that he had commanded him to do. ²⁹ Then Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the people of Israel. ³⁰ Aaron spoke all the words that the Lord had spoken to Moses and did the signs in the sight of the people. ³¹ And the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord had visited the people of Israel and that he had seen their affliction, they bowed their heads and worshiped.

Do you believe your obedience or disobedience to God’s commands changes the world? Is your obedience to gather with the saints on the Lord’s Day a world-changing decision? Do you believe in the world-changing power of serving your neighbor, making a meal for a family with a newborn, holding the door open for a visitor, or praying with someone after the service? It is easy to take for granted the many ordinary things we do to obey the Lord, without considering what will come of it. Consequently, it is easy to overlook the significance of not doing those things. We make excuses—“I’m too busy to help my neighbor today.” “I don’t have time to put together a meal for them right now.” “I’m late for Sunday School; they don’t need my help with the door.” “I’ll tell them I’m praying for you.” Excuses turn into neglect, and patterns become set. And what are the consequences? We miss an opportunity to minister to a neighbor. Parents of newborns are a little more harried than they already are. Guests do not feel welcome. You forget to pray later. Ordinary acts of obedience change you into a different kind of person—the kind who thinks more of others than himself. Others are blessed, cared for, welcomed, and prayed for. Others, in turn, prioritize these things, a particular kind of culture is built up, and we become the kind of church God has called us to be.

Our passage this morning has four sketches related to obedience—each with a different emphasis. The first section, verses 18-20, is titled “Obedience and Blessing.” The second section is verses 21-23, “Disobedience and Its Consequences. The third section is verses 24-26, “Delivered Out of Disobedience. The final section is verses 27-31, “Obedience Changes the World.”

In these four sketches, we see God changing the world as He blesses obedience and curses disobedience. Moses’s obedience to God’s mission led to his reunification with his brother, who had also obeyed the Lord’s command. It reunited Moses with his people, whom God had prepared to receive him. His acts of obedience resulted in the elders of Israel and all the people believing the Word of the LORD and worshipping Him together. But in the middle of this passage, we see the consequences for disobedience—centered around the death threat of the firstborn of Pharaoh and of Moses. Pharaoh and Moses will take diverging paths, and the results will depend not upon themselves, but on the LORD and his mercy. Here, we should clearly see the need for perfect obedience and the inability of anyone to meet this standard. This passage cries out for a perfect firstborn son.

We last left Moses at Horeb, the Mountain of God. Moses had met “the angel of the LORD”, who had revealed himself to be Yahweh, the God of Israel. God had told him, “I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” (3:10) Yet Moses tried to excuse himself from the task. God was patient, but became angry with him as he continued to make excuses. Finally, God equipped him with his staff, which was to serve as a powerful symbol of God’s presence in the sight of the Israelites and Egyptians. God also agreed to send Moses’s brother Aaron to him as his spokesman.

Obedience and Blessing

After Moses met the LORD at Horeb, verse 18 tells us that “Moses went back to Jethro, his father-in-law”. Moses had been tending Jethro’s flock and had taken them “to the west side of the wilderness.” (3:1) Moses had responsibilities to fulfill with Jethro—the sheep were not his, and he wouldn’t have wanted them in Egypt anyway. In this first section, we see Moses obedient to God’s call to “go back to Egypt.” (4:21)

I have previously noted similarities between Moses and Jacob. In chapter two, we saw Moses flee to the east, to save his life—much like Jacob. And like Jacob, he met a woman at a well, married her, had children with her, and tended his father-in-law’s flock. Jethro’s graciousness in allowing Moses to “Go in peace” is a stark contrast with Jacob’s relationship with his father-in-law, Laban. Jacob left Laban under duress—tricking him, and when Laban realized it, he chased him. This contrast helps us to see Jethro in a far more favorable light. He is a much different kind of man than Laban, and this will be important later in the book, when we meet him again.

God then reassured Moses, after he had taken steps of obedience, much like he had with Jacob (Gen. 31:3), that it is safe to return. Moses had fled Egypt to save his life from the hands of Pharaoh after Moses had killed an Egyptian. But “all the men who were seeking [his] life [were now] dead.” (4:19). Here we see the graciousness of God in preparing the way for Moses’s departure. There were now no obstacles or objections for Moses to make to excuse himself from going. His father-in-law gave him freedom to go, and he had nothing to fear in returning to Egypt. When God calls his servants to a mission, He will remove every obstacle in their way to begin. Of course, as we will see, there were still many obstacles He would encounter before completing his mission—but those too were removed in time. The important thing to see is that Moses was reassured by the Lord after he had taken steps of faith by obeying the LORD.

It is important to note that the gospel of Matthew quotes Exodus 4:19, in Matthew 2:20. “But when Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, ‘Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.” And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel.” (Matt. 2:20-21) We must see that these two stories are deeply intertwined. The missions of Moses and Jesus are bound together through their God-appointed task to save their people from bondage. This should heighten your desire to see the depths and riches of the Exodus narrative as a means of understanding the gospel of Jesus Christ and the richness of the entire biblical story.

With the LORD’s assurance that it is safe to go, Moses brought his “wife and his sons and had them ride on a donkey, and went back to the land of Egypt.” This may seem like a mundane or commonplace detail. But there is something beautiful about a man considering the frame of his wife and children and giving them the ability to travel without having to walk the entire way. Men sacrifice for those they love. Men do not demand of others more than they can bear. Men of Grace Church, I commend Moses’s example to you.

God had emphasized to Moses, back in verse 17, to “take in your hand this staff, with which you shall do the signs.” At the end of verse 20, the text emphasizes that Moses obeyed this command by taking “the staff of God in his hand.” This staff exemplified the power that God had entrusted to Moses. The staff Moses had brought with him to the mountain was an ordinary shepherd’s staff. But notice here, in verse 20, that the staff is called “the staff of God.” This staff will play an important role throughout the rest of Moses’s life. This is yet another reminder that God routinely takes an ordinary thing and transforms it into something extraordinary. God is doing this with Moses. Grace, this is what the LORD does with all his children. We are not just ordinary men and women, but we are children of the King, made extraordinary through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit.

Disobedience and Its Consequences

In the second section, we are told of the journey toward Egypt and the Lord’s warning to Moses to expect resistance after he has performed the miracles that God had put “in [his] power.” This prophesied disobedience on the part of Pharaoh will have disastrous consequences for Pharaoh and the entire nation of Egypt.

The LORD is clear that Moses is to do as he had been commanded. The LORD had empowered Moses to perform a series of signs while at Horeb. These signs included turning his staff into a serpent, restoring the serpent back to a staff, making his hand leprous, restoring it again, and finally, turning Nile River water into blood. (4:3-9) These same signs are to be performed first, to the elders of Israel. Their promised favorable response stands in stark contrast to Pharaoh’s. In 3:18, the LORD promised that Israel will obey, and we see this fulfilled at the end of the chapter.

These signs were to be performed before Pharaoh as well, but God warns Moses that they will not result in Pharaoh freeing the Hebrews. Instead, God “will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go.” (4:21) The word “harden” literally means to “make stubborn.” Rather than softening Pharaoh’s heart, God is telling Moses he is doing the very opposite—making Pharaoh even more set in his ways. Once Pharaoh’s heart is hard, Moses is to “say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the LORD, Israel is my firstborn son, and I say to you, ‘Let my son go that he may serve me.’ If you refuse to let him go, behold, I will kill your firstborn son.’” (4:22-23) The consequence for Pharaoh resisting the LORD will be the death of Pharaoh’s firstborn son. There is a lot to dig into here! Let’s take this one thing at a time. First, we will consider Israel as God’s “firstborn son,” then the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart, and lastly the threat against Pharaoh’s firstborn son.

Israel as God’s Firstborn Son

It is easy to overlook and miss the significance of God’s declaration in verse 22 that, “Israel is my firstborn son.” In the Bible, the firstborn son is the presumptive head of the family upon the death of his father (Gen. 27) and consequently received both a fatherly blessing, and a double portion of the inheritance (Deut. 21:17). God’s declaration concerning Israel is meant to demonstrate their special covenantal status, taking precedence over all the nations, and their future status as God’s priestly people. Later in the book, in chapter 13, the LORD will command Israel to “set apart to the LORD all that first opens the womb.” (Ex. 13:12) This firstborn theme permeates Scripture.

Israel’s status as God’s “firstborn son” means that the entire nation is under God’s protective care. They have been adopted through God’s declaration of His love for them, as evidenced by the promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Pharaoh’s enslavement of them is a provocation to the LORD, and he is about to exact vengeance upon Pharaoh and consequently the entire nation of Egypt for their treatment of God’s own son.

Hardening Pharaoh’s Heart

Next, let’s consider God’s hardening Pharaoh’s heart. This idea of God hardening the heart of a man, such that he will face God’s wrath, raises the objection, “Is God being unjust to Pharaoh?” If God can do this to Pharaoh, can’t He do it to you or me? How can God hold Pharaoh accountable for his sin when it is God who has hardened his heart against him?

These questions are addressed in Romans 9 when the Apostle Paul considers this very situation. Paul quotes Exodus 33 in his answer, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, ‘For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.’ So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.” (Rom. 9:15-18)

Paul’s response to this first objection is that our standing before God has nothing to do with us, but is entirely based upon God’s mercy. (9:16) All stand condemned. All have sinned and are by nature enemies of God. This is why it is really a question of mercy, as Paul states. In Ephesians 2:1, Paul describes the situation of all men, apart from Christ, as being “dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked.” Paul’s argument is similar there, for in Ephesians 2:4, he writes, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved…” (Eph. 4:4-5)

So the first objection that it is unjust to harden Pharaoh’s heart is diffused by the truth that Pharaoh’s heart, like the heart of all men, is already hardened against God. As Pastor Dave recently said, “Every minute that I am not in hell, I am getting something infinitely better than I deserve. ” Pharaoh, like you and I, is at enmity with God apart from his gracious gift of faith. We should see in this that apart from the work of the Spirit in the hearts of men, there is only one direction that we will go—further from God.

The second objection is, how can God hold Pharaoh accountable for his sin when it is God who has hardened his heart against him? To this, Paul writes in Romans 9, “But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, ‘Why have you made me like this? Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory…” (Rom. 9:20-23)

One commentator writes, concerning this hardening, that God’s “purpose in preventing Pharaoh from giving in too easily and too early was… to allow himself fully to demonstrate his sovereignty over Pharaoh, the Egyptians, the land of Egypt itself, and the gods in which Pharaoh and the Egyptians trusted.”

The Bible anticipates these objections, knowing human nature. They’ve been asked before and will be asked again. As people who honor God’s Word, we must turn to what the Word says, and not what we want it to say. The Bible is very clear: there is salvation only for those upon whom God extends his mercy and compassion. Pharaoh stood condemned before the Lord in the same way that all men do, including you, apart from his compassion for those whom God “chose … in [Christ] before the foundation of the world… In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace…” (Eph. 1:4-6)

Killing Pharaoh’s Firstborn Son

We considered a few minutes ago the significance of Israel as God’s firstborn Son. Israel is God’s adopted son, through God’s declaration (Rom 9:4) of his fatherhood and their sonship. And so too are we today God’s adopted sons (Eph. 1:5). God protects His son, as any good father would protect his own. So, this threat that God makes to Pharaoh is not primarily a threat against Pharaoh, but a declaration of His love and concern for His people.

This threat foreshadows the tenth, and final plague that will be the culmination of Pharaoh’s hard-hearted rejection of God’s claim upon his adopted Son, Israel. If Pharaoh refuses to restore God’s son to Him, he will require restitutive justice. That is to say that the consequence for Pharaoh will be equitable, equivalent, just, fair. If Pharaoh refuses to free God’s firstborn son, God will take Pharaoh’s firstborn son. God’s justice is always perfect justice. As we will see later in the book, the plague of the death of the firstborn son is carried out upon all of Egypt, not only Pharaoh. As a commenter notes, this is likely due to Pharaoh’s representing all the Egyptians, in the same way Israel is spoken of collectively. As Tim Chester helpfully states, “God has just drawn a line between the firstborn of God and the firstborn of Egypt.”

As God required the life of Pharaoh’s firstborn, so too, today, God will require the life of all those who harm God’s adopted sons. Many have given their lives for the sake of the gospel, and God will one day bring perfect justice to those who have wickedly abused God’s sons and daughters. But that justice is God’s to mete out, for vengeance is His, not ours. (Rom. 12:19)

Delivered Out of Disobedience

The third section, verses 24-26, is deeply linked to the second section. In this third section, Moses’s disobedience regarding the law of circumcision is revealed, and he is delivered out of that disobedience through blood and the work of another—an intercessor.

I’ve highlighted parallels between Jacob and Moses already this morning, and in this section, we see two more. In Genesis 32, God attacked Jacob at night and “wrestled with him until the breaking of the day.” Jacob only escaped after enduring a permanent wound in his hip. (Gen. 32:24-25) In our Exodus passage, Moses (or perhaps Gershom) is attacked by God at a “lodging place” and only escapes after he, or Gershom, endures a permanent wound.

All commentators acknowledge the difficulty of this passage, so I will tread carefully as we look at this passage together. Tim Chester helpfully summarizes the challenges posed by this passage:

1. “We don’t know whom God attacked.
2. We don’t know how God was about to kill him.
3. We don’t know why God was about to kill him.
4. We don’t know how Zipporah knew what to do.
5. We don’t know why Gershom [or Moses] was uncircumcised.
6. We don’t know whether Zipporah’s words were said in love or anger.”

Having acknowledged the ambiguity of the details of this section, we will proceed with what we can confidently state from the text. Circumcision is a big deal in the Old Testament. As one commenter remarks, “Circumcision is a symbol of putting away all that is unpleasing to God, and of dedication to God for the task ahead.” This covenant sign was given to Abraham in Genesis 17:10 and was to be kept in perpetuity for all sons of Abraham. In Genesis 17:14, God tells Abraham, “Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people, he has broken my covenant.”

As I acknowledged, we can’t say with certainty who was attacked or who was circumcised. But the context hints that it is most likely that it was Moses who was attacked, and his firstborn son, Gershom, had not been circumcised. If it was Moses who was attacked, it was likely because, as the father, it was his responsibility to ensure his son was circumcised.

Regardless of the specifics, we can definitively see that God’s law regarding circumcision had been broken. God’s covenant had been broken. This is no small thing! As Tim Chester writes, “Within the covenant there is grace and life. Outside of the covenant are judgment and death… Moses…is acting like an Egyptian or Midianite, rather than a member of God’s covenant people. God’s attack… anticipates his attack on Egypt. The only hope is to cross the line—which is what Zipporah does when she circumcises Gershom (or Moses).”

This scene is thematically tied to the previous threat of the death of the firstborn of Pharoah. Moses’s own family lacked the mark of “covenant sonship”—circumcision. Moses and his family are in the same position as Pharaoh—outside the covenant, and he faces the threat of death himself.

If Moses is not willing to obey God in first things—namely, circumcision, how can he faithfully act as God’s servant? How can he go before the leaders of Israel, or even Pharaoh? How could he instruct Israel in the law, living in violation of it? Moses stood condemned, and the just consequence is death.

In this section, we are confronted with the reality that Moses, whom God had called to act as the deliverer of his people, like Pharaoh, stands condemned before the LORD. He has broken the covenant of circumcision and faces the threat of death. Moses seems unable to do anything. He does nothing to save himself or his son, Gershom. It is the act of another; his wife, Zipporah, acts as an intercessor to bring deliverance from the threat of death. Moses, like Pharaoh, cannot save himself. It is only the mercy of God in providing an intercessor offering blood that delivered Moses’s family from the threat of death. That is the difference between Moses and Pharaoh. God chose to show mercy upon Moses, his family, and his firstborn son, Israel. Deliverance from sin and disobedience is entirely a divine favor. So it is with all men.

Later, when the tenth plague is executed, it is the blood of the Passover lamb upon the lintel and doorposts of their home that will mark out those to be spared . We don’t know how Zipporah knew what was required, but it is clear that she did know and acted accordingly. This reveals the necessity of circumcision, which had been understood but disobeyed. The crisis had been averted, and Zipporah joined the long list of women, like Moses’s mother and the Hebrew midwives, who have acted to protect God’s covenant children.

Before moving on, I want to be clear that circumcision was an Old Covenant sign of inclusion in the people of God. The Apostle Paul states this sign is no longer necessary. He argues this clearly many times throughout his letters. In 1 Corinthians 7:19, he writes, “For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God.” Not only that, but if you insist upon using circumcision as a sign of covenant membership, Paul writes in Galatians 5:2, “Christ will be of no advantage to you.” Baptism is the New Covenant sign of covenant membership. To be numbered among God’s people, you must take the step of obedience by submitting to water baptism.

Obedience Changes the World

The final section is verses 27-31, in which we see the reunion of brothers and Moses’s reunion with his people in Egypt. Here we meet Aaron for the first time, who obeyed the LORD’s command to “Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.” (4:27) The final section serves as a contrast to the second section. Unlike Pharaoh, in section two, whose heart will be hardened, we find the people of Israel obedient to their leaders and to God’s message. They accept the signs performed by Moses and Aaron, which were meant to confirm their authority as God’s messengers.

I must again highlight two more parallels between Moses and Jacob. As Jacob returned to Canaan in Genesis 32, he met his brother Esau, who kissed him in greeting. Of course, there are differences here. Jacob feared his reunion with Esau, though, to Jacob’s surprise, Esau had forgiven him. But they still parted ways. Here, we see the reconciliation of brothers, Moses and Aaron, who are united in mission. This hints at the work that God is about to perform. “How good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity!” (Ps. 133:1)

I have highlighted these parallels between Jacob and Moses because they are present in the text, and they serve a purpose. Jacob, whom the LORD renamed Israel after they wrestled together (Gen. 32:28), is the man who led his family of seventy into Egypt. Moses is a new Jacob, and will lead a burgeoning nation—hundreds of thousands of people out of Egypt. The LORD is shown as fulfilling his purposes through the covenant headship of Moses.

In this final section, there are six acts of obedience:

1. Aaron obeyed the LORD and went to meet Moses.
2. Moses obeyed the LORD’s command from 4:15, to “put the words [of God] in [Aaron’s] mouth.”
3. Together, Moses and Aaron obeyed the LORD by gathering the elders of Israel.
4. Together, Moses and Aaron obeyed the LORD by sharing God’s message and signs with the elders.
5. Together, the people of Israel obeyed by believing the message and signs.
6. Together, the people of Israel obeyed by bowing their heads and worshipping God.

There is a progression of compounding obedience that culminates in worship. Notice the chain of obedience begins with a single man. Aaron’s obedience led to Moses and Aaron’s reunion, and Moses then obeyed his charge from the LORD by sharing God’s message and signs with him. Their obedience led to a larger gathering—the elders of Israel, who also obeyed the LORD. The passage culminates with “the people” believing and worshipping.

If you don’t think you can change the world, you are mistaken. Your acts of obedience may be used by the LORD in a compounding fashion, ultimately leading to a nation acting obediently, as this passage makes evident. “How good and pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity!” (Ps. 133:1) Consider the generational impact of your obedience within your families, within Grace Church. Consider the impact of sharing the gospel with, and discipling unbelievers. We should see in this final section the impact that acts of obedience may have. God is not stingy. He does not save his grace, love, and mercy for a rainy day. But he won’t give it to those who walk in disobedience. But look at how he pours it out when His people walk in His ways!

Conclusion

Before we conclude our time together, let’s consider what this passage means for Christians today. What is God telling us through His Word this morning? When considering Old Covenant passages in this New Covenant era, we must apply the principles laid out for us and consider them in light of the fullness of God’s revelation.

We have seen that Moses is a new Jacob. He is God’s covenant head, leading God’s people out of the bondage of Egypt. Israel was declared to be God’s “firstborn son.” In these four sketches of obedience, we see that the standard for obedience is high—it is perfect, and the stakes are life and death. We see the failure of Moses and Pharaoh and the dangerous consequences for both. Moses and his firstborn son are saved from the wrath of God. Pharaoh and his son will receive no mercy, only wrath. What sets them apart?

What sets them apart is God’s mercy—his compassion for his own. God has adopted some in his mercy. He has adopted many sons and softened their hearts. When Moses’s family was threatened over Moses’s disobedience regarding circumcision, the intercession of another led to their salvation. When Pharaoh is confronted with the threat of death, he will instead harden his heart. He will become more of what he already is—an enemy of God.

It is the intercession of another, leading to salvation, that we must see clearly in this passage, throughout the book of Exodus, and indeed all of Scripture. Moses can only be saved by another—his wife’s act of obedience. Israel can only be saved by the intercession of another—God’s covenant head, who is like his brothers, but has to come from the outside to save them.

I want to return now to God’s declaration that “Israel is my firstborn son.” We’ve already discussed the importance of the firstborn in the Old Covenant, and I hinted at the significance of this theme throughout all of Scripture. Let’s now consider it in light of the New Covenant. In Hebrews 1, God declares that Jesus is his Son, “the firstborn into the world,” that He has an eternal throne, is the ruler of a kingdom, He is exalted above all his companions, is eternal, and sits at the Father’s right hand. Jesus is also spoken of as “the firstborn among many brothers,” in Romans 8:29, and “the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth” in Revelation 1:5.

What do we do with God’s declarations in Exodus and these New Testament statements regarding Jesus as the firstborn? The answer lies in the truth that Jesus is the True Israel. I mentioned earlier that Matthew quotes Exodus 4:19 when an angel declared to Joseph that it was again safe to return to Israel. Just a few verses earlier, Matthew explicitly unites Jesus with the people of Israel, when in Matthew 2:13 he says of Jesus, “Out of Egypt I called my son.” (Matt. 2:13)

The Old Testament is largely a story of how the people of Israel were rebellious sons, time and again showing themselves to be unfaithful and wayward. The story of the gospels is a retelling of Jesus, as the True Israel, fulfilling all the unfaithfulness of the nation of Israel. Jesus, time and again, proves himself to be the faithful, obedient son. The rest of the New Testament then shows that those who follow Jesus Christ, the firstborn of all creation, the firstborn from the dead, are “the assembly of the firstborn” (Heb. 12:23). But Jesus is also “bringing many sons to glory” and the founder of the salvation of many. (Heb. 2:10)

The Old Covenant role of Israel has passed on to the True Son, who is the True Israel, and of which all those who are in Christ are named. The True Israel today is not the nation of Israel in the Middle East, but those who are faithful sons of God found all over the world, united in Spirit to the True Israel—Jesus Christ. This is why Paul writes in Romans 9:6, “not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel.” In Romans 10:21, Paul declares that ethnic Israel was “a disobedient and contrary people.” Ethnic Israel’s rejection of Jesus has brought salvation to the Gentiles—and one day the Jews will receive “full inclusion” in the covenant people of God. (Rom 11:12) Ethnic Israel was broken off from the Olive Tree, and will one day be grafted back in, as we Gentiles are now being grafted into that same tree.

This passage in Exodus cries out for a perfect, firstborn son, who faithfully does the will of His Father. Moses was not it, nor was Pharaoh. God revealed his firstborn son, Jesus Christ, born of a virgin, in Bethlehem. Like Moses, his life was threatened as a baby. He was exiled from his own people and later restored to them to act as their Deliverer.

Jesus, like Zipporah, like Moses, is our intercessor. He is the one like us, “born in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:7), but the eternal Son of God. He has come from outside of creation, incarnated into it, to lead “many sons to glory.”

Jesus Christ obeyed God perfectly. He is the perfect son. He lived the life of the perfect Son because we cannot. The obedience of Jesus Christ forever changed the world. God, in his mercy, has adopted us as his sons and given us the benefit of the work of Jesus Christ by uniting us to Him in baptism to make us co-heirs with God’s true and faithful firstborn son.

If you are in Christ, that is, if you trust in Him alone for the forgiveness of your sin, you are filled with His Spirit, and walk in His ways; you are already forgiven. All Christ’s benefits are yours. Your inheritance in the new heavens and earth is secure. But if you are in rebellion against God, walking in disobedience, you stand condemned. The threat of eternal death hangs over you! Beware, lest you harden your heart further. You need not face that judgment yourself. Jesus Christ, the perfect, true, firstborn Son, stands at the ready to claim you as His own. He has already paid the penalty for sin. You need only trust in Him and receive his already finished work of salvation.

Jesus has freed all of his own from the law, requiring perfect obedience, knowing, in the weakness of sin, that we are unable to fulfill it. All believers have been united with Christ, and “set free from sin.” We are “dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.” (Rom. 6:5-11) Because we have been freed from sin, we are not to let it reign in us and obey our fallen passions and desires. But instead, we are to present ourselves to God as “instruments for righteousness.” We are no longer enslaved to sin in the way the Israelites had been enslaved in Egypt. But we are “slaves of God.” (Rom 6:22)

Like Aaron, our acts of obedience can have a profound downstream impact on others. We, too, can change the world through our obedience. We should expect no less. That doesn’t mean we will always see the fruit of our obedience, but we should always expect it to come in God’s time.

I exhort you to consider your spheres of influence. Where can you and do you have influence? Walk faithfully there. Walk in obedience. Your neighbors are watching you. Church member, we’re watching you. Parents, your children are watching you. Students, your friends are watching you. Employees, your coworkers are watching you. Grandparents, generations are watching you! Strive to extend your obedience outward in each sphere of life, expecting fruit to come of it. God is building his kingdom for the glory of His Name, and He doesn’t desire a modest, manageable kingdom; He wants it all. “So then, let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.” (Rom. 13:12) Let us walk in the Spirit, living lives of obedience for the glory of God and the advancement of His Kingdom.