Exiting and Entering

In chapter 7 of Acts Stephen appeals to several characters of the Old Testament for his Jewish audience to reflect upon.

First Abraham.

Then Joseph.

Then Moses.

Though others are mentioned, these three men are highlighted and greater attention is given to them regarding the specifics of their lives than the others whom he just touches upon (Isaac, Jacob, David, and Solomon).

Central to Stephen’s plea – which was central to Yeshua’s plea, and central to the apostles plea – was that the Nation of Israel to “exit” the religious life they were steeped in and to “enter” into a relationship with Christ by faith. This was central to Stephan’s theme.

Throughout the biblical narrative we are constantly exposed to the theme of leaving one place for another – typically at the hand, will and/or command of God. As we shall see, God doesn’t direct us to anything He won’t do Himself.

In the human realm the theme of exodus (or exiting) begins in Genesis when Adam and Eve, having disobeyed God are, in their fallen sinful state, driven out of the Garden to experience life outside of its comforting confines, to experience suffering, loss and pain, and to learn to rely on God through such suffering since they chose not to relate to Him freely through comfort.

In their story we see a basis for all exiting or exodus –

“leaving one location “where the flesh is comforted, comfortable and self-satisfied – for another location that is challenging, difficult, wrought with uncertainty and potential loss”

– because in this state of uncertainty human beings are forced to cry out to God for guidance, direction, safety, protection and support. Hence, this Old Testament theme of exiting and entering becomes foundational to the Christian walk.

After Adam and Eve, we come to the story of Noah – another story of exiting and entering – but this time Noah is commanded to build a vessel that will lift him and his family above a world that God is going to destroy. His exit is facilitated by his willingness to hear God’s command to “act” and his willingness, amidst what must have been great criticism, to build a giant craft over the course of 120 years.

In the end, Noah exited the world in which he lived long (before the first rain drops fell) and then he was separated from the world by entering into the ark by faith (surrounded by pitch) where God sealed he and his family up until the deluge dried up and he returned to dry land again. Noah’s exit was proof that He trusted God more than the surround world and its immediate comforts and promises.

At the very beginning of the story of Abraham we read:

Genesis 12:1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:

The command? To make three exits . . .

“out of THY country,” and

“from THY kindred,” and from

“THY father’s house”

and only then will Abraham make an entrance

“into a land that I will shew thee.”

In this story we find the whole biblical concept of exiting and entering in one verse.

Exiting, and even entering, is not always easy or comfortable to do. We love our “countries” and “our kindreds”, and “our fathers houses” and we are fearful of the land that God will show us because it is unknown, and we prefer the certainty of where were are and what we know to that with which we are totally unfamiliar.

Again, and in the end, this is the picture of the Christian call – to “leave the former certainties and God will show us a land (a life both here and in the great beyond) where I want you to dwell.”

Following these commands requires faith in God – faith in His promises and ways which are typically unknown, not understood and unseen!

Prior to Isaac (the Son of Promise) being born, Abraham had another son named Ishmael, the son of Sarah’s handmaiden Hagar. Once Isaac was born, Ishmael and his mother Hagar were forced to exist the comforts of that life and home and setting and to venture out into the desert where it seemed like inevitable death awaited. But because Ishmael was Abraham’s son God intervened and saved the child and his mother and made them a great nation.

In this case the exit was by force but in the end we learn that even though the boy was the product of fleshly wisdom God still honored and cared for him and his mother since as they were from Abraham, the man of faith.

In Isaac, Abraham’s son of promise, we do not have much by way of an “exodus and an entrance” but when we consider the twin boys he and Rebecca bore the theme of exiting and entering resurfaces as both Esau and Jacob both experienced their own “exiting and entering” by the hand of the Lord.

Then we come to the story of Joseph, Jacob’s favorite son. Sold by his brothers to some traveling merchants Joseph wound up exiting the land where his father Jacob lived and all that was familiar and comfortable. In this case the exodus was, like Hagar, forced upon him. But God did this as a means to save all the house of Israel as we read Joseph himself say in Genesis 45:4-5

“Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life.

In selling their brother (forced exodus) Joseph’s brothers not only ensured their very lives (as Joseph was placed in high favor and had gathered food to provide them during a famine) but he also paved the way for another biblical exodus – that of his father Jacob and all his family from a land of famine and to enter into Egypt – a place where they would first find comfort and favor but would ultimately experience tremendous bondage and suffering.

This exodus of Jacob and his sons into Egypt is a type and picture of sin in the bible.

And it’s a good one.

Starving in their own land Israel and his sons came into the land of promises and plenty. Like the early trappings of sin pleasure and comfort drew them in. But once an Egyptian Pharaoh came along who “knew not Joseph” the Children of Jacob (the Children of Israel) were put into bondage to the very thing they thought would keep them comfortable – proving their need for a savior to lead them out of captivity – and into the promised land.

This is a huge type and picture for all believers today.

In the case of the Nation of Israel and their bondage to Egypt their deliverer was a man named Moses.

Interestingly enough, Moses own personal life was couched in the theme of exiting and entering. As a means to preserve their handsome baby from a mandated death Moses mother took the babe and putting him in an ark of reeds then sent him out from the comforts of his birth home and into the arms of Pharaoh’s sister.

After forty years of being raised as an Egyptian Moses then exited Egypt (due to him killing a man) and entered into a the solitary life of a desert shepherd.

Forty years later, under the command of God, he exited his desert life and entered back into Egypt – as the one to lead the Children of Israel out of captivity and into the promised land – which he did.

Interestingly enough, in Deuteronomy 18:15, Moses said the following, referring to another savior and deliverer that would come:

“The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken.”

Christians believe this was a prophecy from Moses about Christ. In any case Moses exited the desert and entered Egypt, only to get Pharaoh to “let his people go” so they could then exit the confines of bondage and enter into a life of liberty (and trial).

The story of this grand exiting is told in the book appropriately titled Exodus – which is all about how Moses lead the Children of Israel out of captivity and into the promised land (the very land God promised to Abraham).

We note something significant to this exiting and entering – while the COI exited Egypt and ultimately (under the leadership of Joshua, Yeshua real name) entered what was called, “the promised land,” that land of promise was full of warfare and battles – and not one of ultimate peace and rest.

This picture’s (or typifies) the Christian walk with Christ (which we’ll get to below).

Other Old Testament themes of “exiting and entering exist in scripture too” (David, Daniel and the lion’s den, Jonah and the great fish, Jeremiah, etc.) but let’s move into the New Testament and touch on the fulfillment of this biblical type of exiting and entering.

We’ll begin with John the Baptist who, from birth, was set apart (note the word “apart”) from the religiously zealous world around him by his manner of dress, by the foods he ate, the things he refused to eat, and where he lived prior to entering in full time ministry.

From a babe he exited the world and then re-entered it to do as he was called to do (to prepare the way for the Lord).

Only to be killed thereafter.

Thus far in our biblical illustrations of exiting and entering we have characters or people groups exiting from one place of familiarity and to a certain extent comfort and entering into a place of unfamiliarity.

This is a primary motif of the Christian walk – to walk from the comfortable, familiar and known only to enter the potentially uncomfortable, the unfamiliar the self-sacrificial and the unknown.

We see that some of the themes present in “exiting and entering” are

• Leaving certainty for uncertainty
• Leaving a life of knowing for a life of faith
• Leaving a life of self-reliance to a life of God- reliance
• Leaving known trials and bondage for a life of unknown challenges and outcomes.
• In the case of Noah, Abraham, Joseph and Jacob the exiting meant entering into continued living, safety and protection.
• In the case of Adam, Moses, and John the Baptist, the exiting meant exiting the familiar and comfortable and entering into what only wound up being death.

Of course, the best example of “exiting and entering” is Yeshua who (as the Word of God that created all things) exited His heavenly home for an earthly abode, then exited the comforts of his earthly home to a enter into a life where, as the Son of Man, He had “no place to rest His head.” Of course, his exiting and entering culminated in his own death as well.

In His chosen apostles we see a call for them to “leave their nets and follow Him . . . ” to exit the life they knew and to enter into a life of faith – uncertainty – which also ended in their untimely deaths (except for John).

The same is true for Paul, Stephan who we started of talking about above, and literally all who choose to hear the Gospel message, take up their cross and follow Him.

Herein lies the message and application to believers today.

While there may, in some cases be the call for certain people to exit the physical comforts of home, the land of their fathers, their family, even relationship and jobs and the like, the over-arching theme and application is this:

All who are His are called, by Him, to do as Abraham; to

“Get thee out of thier country, and from their kindred, and from their father’s house, and into a land that God will shew them.”

Again, this may have a material or literal application but in the end this is certainly a call on everyone to assume spiritually.

To exit the world of the flesh and to enter the world of the Spirit – in preparation to live in a similar place in the hereafter.

In other words, Christians are all called to leave the natural lives from which we came, our lives in the flesh, lives that contain the familiar, the traditions, the security of family and customs of the flesh, and to enter into a living spiritual relationship with Him, a relationship that is based on faith and not the familiar; on uncertainty not security; on trust and reliance on Him and not on the things of the world.

We are called to exit from the things of this world – from all that is in the world – and to enter into life in another realm, that of the new creation.