I Brought You Out

The 2022 Florida College Annual Lectureship presents studies based on the Old Testament story of Israel's exodus from Egypt. The lessons presented here are designed to help keep our focus on God especially in the midst of seemingly hopeless situations. Who could have imagined that the enslaved and dispirited Israelites-with no organization, no army, no resources-would prevail over the dominant superpower of their day? Of course, they did not conquer Egypt, but their God did! So the exodus became the paradigm for the Lord's deliverance of His people out of circumstances that humans label as "impossible" (Matt 19.26). The exodus event is used by the OT prophets to speak of God restoring His people from Babylonian captivity, not just returning them physically to their homeland, but spiritually renewing the people on the inside. More importantly, this foreshadowed God's deliverance of all humanity from sin and death, just as the NT writers develop this exodus theme more explicitly. Can hope become a reality in these situations that seem hopeless? Will the impossible once again be possible? This series of lessons are particularly relevant and vital for God's people today as we await that Final Exodus, holding fast to our hope in something that the world declares "impossible." This is all the more important as our society continues its descent into madness, calling "evil 'good' and good 'evil'" (Isa 5.20), prompting many to despair, "Can God Himself really restore or deliver anything from something this far gone?"