Chapter. 25. Allegorical interpretation of Moses forsaking Egypt by Faith.
to do difficult things for God brings honour to Him, and it is honourable for us. Those who have gone through difficult works are esteemed by others. As some observe from Song of Solomon 8:9, "If she is a wall, we will build upon her a palace of silver." If she stands as a wall against opposition and temptation, we will build upon her a magnificent palace. She will be made honourable and glorious.
Similarly, every Christian, if your heart is like a wall, standing against opposition, difficulty, and hindrances in the way of God, a palace of silver will be built upon you. You will be honoured in the eyes of God and all His saints. Going through difficulty greatly strengthens grace, and the more difficulty one goes through, the more grace is strengthened. It is a rule that anything that opposes another, if it does not overcome it, strengthens it. For example, fire and water, if you pour water onto the fire that it can overcome, the fire gathers strength to overcome the water that opposes it, and it burns better. The same applies to all opposition and even sin. If a person is opposed in their sinful ways by the Word but the Word does not overcome their lust, their lust grows stronger. Similarly, in grace, if any lust, sin, temptation, or anything opposes grace or any gracious act, and if they do not overcome grace but grace overcomes them, grace becomes stronger. Therefore, let us continue in the way of God, no matter what difficulties may arise from it.
Chapter 25 Containing a Second consideration of the Text, namely, an Allegorical interpretation of Moses forsaking Egypt by Faith.
Warrant for Allegorical interpretations. Forsaking this world, renouncing our natural state, a difficult work. Fourteen reasons for it.
Now that we have completed the point in the Literal sense, which is the journey Moses was set upon by God, let us briefly discuss the Allegorical Sense. Although it may not be the main focus, we know that many times the Holy Spirit uses Scripture in an allegorical way.
Before delving into it, I will mention a few scriptures to establish a basis for my handling of this scripture in an allegorical manner.
The Holy Spirit uses Scripture not only according to the primary sense but also the metaphorical and allegorical sense. For example, in Psalm 19:3-4 it is written, "There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. Their line has gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world." This passage is clearly referring to the sun and its movements in the heavens. The heavens, the motions within them, and the powerful demonstration of God's might are likened to a language and a voice. The message conveyed by these celestial phenomena reaches the whole earth. However, note how the Apostle applies this passage in a different sense in Romans
10:18. He says, "But I say, have they not heard? Yes indeed: 'Their sound has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.'" Here, he is referring to the preaching of the Gospel and the mission of the Apostles.
Another example is found in Matthew 2:15. When Christ was taken to Egypt, it was to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet, "Out of Egypt I called my Son." This quotation is from the prophecy in Hosea
11:1, which originally referred to God calling His people out of Egypt.
However, in Matthew's account, it is applied to Christ. Thus, we see
that the Holy Spirit not only uses Scripture according to its primary sense but also allegorically and typologically, and we have the liberty to do the same.
And now we shall discuss this Text in an Allegorical sense in two ways:
1. In terms of the bondage we experience by nature under sin and Satan, similar to how the Israelites were in Egypt under Pharaoh. Just as Moses, by faith, forsook Egypt, we too must be delivered from this spiritual Egypt and the bondage we are in by nature under sin and Satan, through faith.
2. The Scripture compares the power of Antichrist and the bondage that people are in under Antichrist to Egypt. In Romans 11:8, it is referred to as spiritual Sodom and spiritual Egypt. Just as the Israelites were delivered from their bondage in Egypt by faith, faith also delivers people from the bondage of Antichrist.
Firstly, for the forsaking of Egypt, we are all naturally enslaved to sin and Satan, just as the Israelites were enslaved to the Egyptians.
Canaan served as a type of Heaven, and God's promise to bring them to Canaan portrayed the condition of His people and how they would be led to heaven. All of God's dealings with the Israelites in this work were typological, foreshadowing future events. Therefore, by faith, we forsake this Egypt, and the souls of God's people are guided to Canaan, through the wilderness of this world, towards heaven. Faith is what carries us through this arduous journey.
This is the most difficult task of all works; the bondage is the greatest form of enslavement. If we consider:
1. The carnal reasoning that arises in people's hearts against God's work of bringing them out of their natural state.
2. The self-confidence that people possess, being assured of their own condition and oblivious to their bondage.
3. The vain hopes that reside in people's hearts concerning God's mercy.
4. The dangerous misconceptions that people have, misunderstanding the way of God and the path of life, mistakenly believing they are on the path to life when they are actually on the path to death.
5. The inherent prejudice that people hold against God's way by nature.
6. The strong attachments that keep people from returning to God.
7. The multitude of lusts within the heart that can only be overcome by the power of the Almighty.
8. If we consider the strong accusations and terrors that plague the consciences of both men and women when they are awakened.
9. If we consider the distressing temptations of Satan that follow and intimidate the soul when it seeks to leave this Egypt, just as Pharaoh pursued the Israelites.
10. If we consider the overwhelming discouragement people experience when they reflect on themselves and see their inability to do anything good or resist anything evil.