September 20 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

Free people sing. That's the only right response to salvation. That's why churches have so much singing. And that's why heaven is full of hymns. "He brought out his people with rejoicing, his chosen ones with shouts of joy" (Ps. 105:43).

The Egyptians were floating to the shore like so many dead fish. The chariots that had threatened to wipe out God's people a little while earlier were invisible, buried beneath the water. And the waves echoed the song of the redeemed.

Maybe you are not as deeply impressed with this first exodus as Moses and Miriam were. Perhaps you would have found it hard to sing and dance because you would have been bothered by the sight and the thought of the dead Egyptians. When you see the dead victims of violence, you might wonder, does anybody ever "win" a war, except those who manage to abolish war?

When we think along these lines, we may be showing some fruit of the progressive revelation of our God. Remember: there is no enlightenment unless it comes from the Light.

The second great deliverance by God, the one through Jesus Christ, was much more excellent than the first one.

In the first exodus, God saved the life of Israel, his son, by killing his enemies. In the second exodus, at Calvary, God saved his enemies by giving the life of his Son.

The last one is overwhelmingly better than the first. In both cases, however, judgment is a necessary part of the "plan of salvation." God's salvation unavoidably involves death and pain—not because God lacks love but because sin is that bad.

Another necessary accompaniment to salvation is the response of the redeemed: God's people sing their song of praise to the One who set them free.

REFLECTIONS

Offer your own prayer of praise to the One who has set you free.

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published by Paideia Press in 1977. This updated edition is copyright 2009 by Faith Alive Christian Resources. You can order a copy of this revised version of the book directly from the publisher.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this updated edition of Daylight are from the Holy Bible: Today's New International Version copyright 2001, 2005 by the International Bible Society.