Deliverance

Deliverance! This year Passover and Easter fell in the same week. These two overlapping but separate celebrations focus on a similar theme. As a Messianic believer, I come to the Passover seder celebrating the historical deliverance of the children of Israel. But the beauty of this celebration is that it does not just look backwards.

Elsewhere in the Old Testament, the Exodus from Egypt is shown as just part of the story. Jer. 16:14-15 foretells a time when even the mighty deliverance from Egypt will fade in comparison to a yet greater one.

“Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that it shall no more be said, The LORD liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; But, The LORD liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north . . . and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers.”

How can this deliverance be any greater than the Nile turned to blood and the death of Egypt’s firstborn? What could possibly be more impressive than the parting of the sea, than Israel’s escape, than the seas thundering together to crush Pharaoh’s mighty army?

To understand we must look just a few days later. In Ex. 15:22 the children of Israel were only three days past this mighty miracle when they got thirsty. They started murmuring, complaining, griping and accusing Moses of bringing them out of the slavery of Egypt to die of thirst in the desert. They proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that miracles alone do not engender faith.

They totally forgot what kind of God was dealing with them!!

A traditional song for Passover is “Dayenu”. It recounts God’s deliverance, His destruction of the gods of the Egyptians, and His merciful bounty in providing the Sabbath, the Torah and the Temple. The word “dayenu” means “it is enough”. In other words, the song says that it would have been enough if God had only done one of these many miraculous things—we are blessed beyond measure because He did them all!

But in reality, it wasn’t enough. If it had been enough, God would have stopped there. But He didn’t.

God wants more than our awe, more than our transient, fleeting gratitude. He wants the biggest miracle of all, and for that He sent the biggest miracle of all.

In Jer. 31:31 He tells us what He wants. He wants His law written in our hearts and His spirit living within us.

Here the messages of Exodus and Resurrection unite in one. With true deliverance, we can all say “Dayenu”! It truly is enough.