Hope of deliverance in Genesis and at the Lord’s Table
Stuart Powell reflects on Genesis 15:13-14 and what enslaved Israel may have heard in God’s promise that they would “go out” after judgment. He connects that same hope to persecuted believers today and to the church’s repeated remembrance at the Lord’s Table.
- God’s promise framed Israel’s suffering with hope, not despair.
- The church still waits in hope for liberation after the day of judgment.
- The Lord’s Table rehearses Jesus’ sacrifice and strengthens hope for what’s ahead.
By Stuart Powell
Moses is credited with writing down the oral stories of the people of Israel to create the book of Genesis. It was the first written record of the heritage of God’s covenant people. Have you ever wondered what those ancient believers thought about the story of Abram when it was told to the Jews in Egyptian slavery?
A Promise to “Go Out”
“Then the Lord said to Abram, ‘Know this for certain: Your offspring will be resident aliens for four hundred years in a land that does not belong to them and will be enslaved and oppressed. However, I will judge the nation they serve, and afterward they will go out with many possessions’” (Genesis 15:13-14, Christian Standard Bible).
The Jewish slaves held on to the memory that they were children of Abraham and heirs to this promise of deliverance. They knew that for 400 years they had lived in Egypt. Generations of them were born in slavery. What message did they hear in the story of the Creator speaking of their plight a century before Jacob’s family moved to Egypt? Surely it caught many of them by surprise. How did they respond to the last part of that statement? Egypt would be judged for their treatment of Israel. Then, after the judgement, Israel will go out. Their destiny was not eternal enslavement. While they waited on God’s judgment, the people of Israel needed to endure their suffering. However, they did not need to endure in despair. They should wait in the hope of what God promised to do.
That is the same message God has for the church today, especially those living in persecution. One day, the heirs of God in the gospel, will go out. One day the temptations of sin and the wickedness of people will burden us no more. Until then we need to live and speak of the hope of God’s promise after the day of judgment.
Hope at the Lord’s Table
The message of this hope is repeated whenever the church gathers around the Lord’s table. In this part of our worship we need to remember that Jesus chose to take our sins to the cross. There he took upon himself the first judgment of sinful humanity. Now, we can look forward to the day when we go out after the final judgment of sinful humanity. In eating the bread we are reliving the nails driven into Jesus’ hands, the thorns on his brow, and the whip on his back. When we drink from the cup we revisit the scene of his blood pouring to the ground around the cross as an atonement for our sinfulness. In giving up his body and blood, Jesus paid the judgment penalty we all deserved. Because of his sacrifice, our destiny is not eternal enslavement. Now we wait in hope for the day of God’s liberation.
Stuart Powell lives outside of Terre Haute, Indiana, where he serves with the North Side Christian Church.
Author: Stuart Powell
Stuart Powell lives outside of Terre Haute, Indiana, where he serves with the North Side Christian Church.
