For when the horses of Pharaoh with his chariots and his horsemen went into the sea, the Lord brought back the waters of the sea upon them, but the people of Israel walked on dry ground in the midst of the sea.
– Exodus 15:19
Exodus 15:19 summarizes the story of how God, at the Red Sea, redeemed His people from the clutches of Egyptian slavery. The whole picture of redeeming a people is bringing them out of slavery into freedom. That’s what the story of the Exodus is about—God bringing His people, first through plague after plague after plague, culminating in the Passover, then they leave Egypt. But then, the Egyptians are rushing to try to catch them, overtake them. They come to the edge of the Red Sea. God splits that sea in half.
This Verse Gives Us a Picture of Salvation
Just imagine that scene. You’re standing in front of this massive body of water and it splits in half. You go through in the middle, on dry ground, and then those waters come crashing down on your enemies who are trying to overtake you from behind. That is deliverance from slavery, redemption, into freedom. So you are now on the other side in freedom. And this is a picture that the Bible gives us of salvation. In a much, much greater way, the salvation that’s found in Jesus.
God Frees Us From Our Sin
We are slaves to sin, in bondage to sin, and God sends His Son to redeem us, to save us from slavery to sin. To save us from bondage to sin and from the penalty and price of sin. To free us to live a life with God. The life God has created us to live of enjoying Him and knowing Him and walking with Him and worshiping with Him. This is what Jesus has come to do. This is one of the ways the Bible anticipates the coming of Jesus: the God who redeems His people will send His Son to save them from ultimate slavery to experience ultimate freedom.
Exodus 15:19: Jesus Has Come to Free Us
So God, we pray, during this advent season. We know, not just that Jesus is coming but He has come. And He has come to save us, to redeem us from slavery to sin. We are no longer slaves to sin. We are sons and daughters of God. You have purchased us, Lord Jesus, with Your blood. You have paid the price for our sins, so that we might be free. It’s for freedom that Christ has set us free. God, help us to live in this today. We are free from the clutches of sin. We are free from guilt and shame. You have set us free to live for Your glory, to live according to Your ways and Your Word, to live the life You’ve created us to live. So God, help us to live that today.
Asking God to Help Us Live Well in Our Freedom
God, I pray in my own life, I pray for those who are listening right now, God, please help us to live in the freedom that You’ve bought for us, Lord Jesus, with your blood. Help us to walk with You and to worship You. Help us to experience all that You’ve designed for our lives and the freedom You have bought for us. We praise You as the God who redeems Your people, redeems us. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
