The exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and to the promised land is a prophetic illustration of God’s plan to deliver us from slavery to sin in the world and bring us into the peaceful rest of righteousness in His kingdom through the gospel of Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul writes about it in the 10th chapter of 1 Corinthians, and we’ll look at that, but first it will be good to see what he writes in the last few verses of the preceding chapter. “Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: but I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway” (1 Cor. 9:24-27). It’s apparent that those who repent and believe in Jesus are entering a race, or beginning a course, that ends with a prize. Note that Paul doesn’t “run” haphazardly but keeps his flesh in subjection lest he become a “castaway” after preaching to others. “Castaway” means- to be worthless, rejected. It is with this mindset that he speaks to us about the exodus as he continues writing in 1 Corinthians 10:1-15. “Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and did all eat the same spiritual meat; and did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, Who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry. I speak as to wise men; judge ye what I say.”

The apostle is showing us that our race, or course, parallels that of the Israelites from Egypt to the promised land. The things that happened to them were examples and types for us. Egypt represents the world and Pharaoh represents the god of this world, Satan. Just as the Israelites were enslaved to Pharaoh and to serving his kingdom, people without Jesus are enslaved to the devil and to serving the things of this world. The Israelites were baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea. The cloud represents the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the sea represents the water baptism for New Testament believers. God parted the sea to make a way for Israel to escape their bondage in Egypt. They entered the water to be released from Pharaoh’s dominion and came out of the water to be under God’s dominion. He had to get His people out from under Pharaoh’s authority in order to do a work in their lives. The same sea that provided a safe escape route for Israel subsequently destroyed Pharaoh’s army and cut off his ability to enslave them again. Likewise, by the Spirit and water baptism, we who believe, are delivered from the devil’s dominion and bondage of the world to God’s dominion and freedom from slavery to sin! The waters of baptism destroy the powers of darkness and cut off the devil’s ability to enslave us again. Thus, repentant believers are baptized unto Jesus in the Spirit and in the water.

God then leads us into the wilderness. It represents the time, circumstances, trials, etc. that our heavenly Father uses to show us our hearts and bring us to the end of ourselves. Every individual who is called by God must go through it. Although baptism delivers us from the devil’s dominion and cuts off his ability to enslave us again, IT DOES NOT prevent our hearts from turning back to him and the world. Consequently, the devil comes while we’re in the wilderness to entice and draw us back to him. In Luke 9:23-24 Jesus says, “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for My sake, the same shall save it”. We must relinquish all of our pride, abilities, fleshly affections, and so on in order to partake of God’s life. The wilderness is the place of either dying to self and sin or rebelling against God and turning back to the devil. Think about Moses. When first supposing that he was to be Israel’s redeemer, he went as son of Pharaoh, in his own strength and ability, to stand in the gap. After killing an Egyptian, Moses spent 40 years in the wilderness (Exodus 2). Then, when God appeared in the burning bush to send him to deliver the Israelites, Moses responded saying, “Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?” (Exodus 3:11). While in the wilderness, God had brought Moses to the end of himself. He also led Jesus into the wilderness after His baptisms (Luke 3:21-4:14). There, Jesus was tempted through the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. Overcoming them all, by having denied Himself, Jesus left the wilderness in the power of the Spirit (Luke 4:14).

The promised land represents our souls when they have entered into God’s rest and we walk in the power of the Spirit. The land, or ground, in the Bible often depicts the heart of man. An example is in the parable of the sower and the seed (Matt. 13:1-23). In it, the seed is the Word of God and the different types of ground represent the hearts of men. We enter into God’s rest when we’ve ceased from our own works. The wilderness experience of the Israelites is also mentioned in the 3rd and 4th chapters of Hebrews. There, the scripture says that they could not enter into His rest (the promised land) because of unbelief which produced sin and disobedience. Speaking to us, Hebrews 4:9-11 says,“There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into His rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from His. Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief”. Our labor is to remain yielded to God in faith and to patiently endure the trials and circumstances that God is using to bring us to the end of ourselves. Then, our souls are at rest because the old man, the sinner, has been rendered lifeless. He has no place to do anything and Jesus has place to do everything. He then lives through us producing all that we say and do. Entering into God’s rest does not mean there won’t be battles to fight and things to overcome. Upon entering the promised land, the Israelites still had to overcome its inhabitants and possess it. The difference is that, having passed through the wilderness and being brought to the end of ourselves, we are no longer doing- Jesus is doing through us. He produces righteousness, fights the battles, overcomes, works miracles, and ministers to others through our fleshly bodies. A person has entered the promised land, or God’s rest, when he/she walks in love as Jesus walked and reflects His image (1 John 2:6, Romans 8:28-29).

While speaking of the last days in Luke 21, Jesus says, “In your patience possess ye your souls” (vs. 19). Our souls are the prize Paul was referring to in 1 Corinthians chapter 9. Possessing the promised land occurs when we have finished the course and put on immortality. Then, we will have followed Jesus all the way to His incorruptible life (1 Corinthians 15). No race, or course, is over until you cross the finish line.

Now consider this. The Israelites were all baptized, they all ate spiritual meat (representing the Word of God), and they all drank spiritual drink (representing the life of Christ). Nevertheless, “with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness”.Multitudes of them died in the wilderness because their hard, unbelieving hearts kept turning back to Egypt. The Israelites looked to God, followed Him, and sang His praises when everything was pleasing and comfortable to their flesh. But when they couldn’t perceive God with their natural senses and when trials came, their hearts turned back to Egypt because of concerns for self-interest and personal well-being. They murmured, tested God, denied His power, and worshipped idols, resulting in their death and failure to enter or possess the promised land.

Here and now, even greater numbers of professing Christians are doing the same thing. Yes, they’ve been baptized unto Jesus in the Spirit and in the water, they feed on God’s Word and drink of His Spirit. But, like the hard-hearted Israelites, concerns for self-interest and personal well-being are keeping their hearts and lives in the world. Pride, self-preservation, personal goals, desires, and comforts possess their souls. They love their own life and are not willing to lose it for Jesus’ sake. They’ll gladly accept freedom from the devil but will not submit themselves to God’s authority because they want control of their own lives. With self on the throne of the heart, man is in the world, sin, and Satan’s dominion.

In the 13th and 14th chapters of Numbers, Moses sent spies to bring back a report of the promised land. Most reported that the land produced a lot of good fruit (righteousness) and flowed with milk and honey (the Word of God and the sweetness of unity with Him) just as God had said. Nevertheless, they also reported that Israel couldn’t go in and possess the land because it eats up its inhabitants and the giants there were too strong to overcome. The kingdom of God consumes the souls of its people. In essence, the spies were reporting that to possess the land they must surrender to God. Joshua and Caleb were the only spies who came back saying that the land was good and that Israel could have it because God had given it to them. Most of Israel believed the “evil report” because they didn’t want God and His kingdom to consume their lives. They accused Him of bringing them to die in the wilderness, and said they would have been better off back in Egypt. The spies with the evil report died that day and none of the adult Israelites were able to enter or possess the promised land except Joshua and Caleb. Israel was kept in the wilderness until all the unbelieving adults died there. Today, God’s people are hearing from preachers and teachers that say they can’t live above sin and walk as Jesus walked. They are also saying that God’s rest is good and it produces an abundance of the fruit of righteousness, but the sin in man’s soul is a giant that can not be overcome- it’s too strong and can’t be defeated. As a result, those listening to them are dying in the wilderness. Maybe they, like the Israelites, are receiving the evil report because they really don’t want their souls to be consumed with the kingdom of God. By the power of the Holy Spirit and for the sake of Jesus’ name, I say you can enter into God’s rest, you can live above sin, and you can walk as Jesus walked. The gospel of Jesus Christ has destroyed the power of sin!! The land is ours; God has redeemed us and given it to us. Don’t listen to the evil reports and have an evil, unbelieving heart. Let the love of God, His examples, and His Word compel you to, “Lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God”(Hebrews 12:1-2). Believe God, submit to Him, be patient, and possess your soul- “All things are possible to him that believeth” (Mark 9:23) and “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God” (Luke 18:27).