“ not a hoof shall be left behind”–Exodus 10:26 (ESV)
My Beloved Family in Christ Jesus our Lord,
Perhaps each of us has one verse of Holy Scripture, or even a fraction of a verse, etched uniquely and indelibly into our minds. Even this very moment you might be recalling the comforting words of our Savior when He said to the disciples, “ Let not your heart be troubled” (John 14:1). Or it may be those memorable and courageous words of Joshua that are now echoing in your soul: “ But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15).
On this new Monday let me suggest that you add one other portion of a verse to your list. It is the words that I have quoted above, which have been extracted from a series of conversations between Moses and Pharaoh.
Of course, the historical setting is the time right before the exodus, when there was a sequence of interactions between these two men, one the great earthly king, and the other the chosen representative of the Sovereign, Eternal King.
As you will recall, Moses had been commissioned by the Lord to go directly to Pharaoh in order to demand the release of the captive Israelites. In chapters 8-10 of Exodus we find four such encounters, each of them recording Pharaoh’s clever attempt to get Moses to make compromises regarding the unequivocal ultimatum to free the covenant people.
In the first encounter, Exodus 8:25, Pharaoh offers to ‘free’ them to worship the Lord their God, but only if they remain “ within the land” of Egypt.
The second interaction is in Exodus 8:28 where the Egyptian potentate declares that he will allow them to depart, but only if they “ do not go very far away.”
In the third conversation, found in Exodus 9:27-28, Pharaoh claims that, due to the judgments of God that had come upon his kingdom in the form of the plagues, he had finally gotten himself right with the Lord:
“ Then Pharaoh sent and called Moses and Aaron and said to them, ‘This time I have sinned; the Lord is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong. Plead with the Lord, for there has been enough of God’s thunder and hail. I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.’”
Of course, this was simply a bald-faced lie, as the narrative makes clear in verse 35:
“ So the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people of Israel go, just as the Lord had spoken through Moses.”
Then, in the climactic final transaction, Pharaoh once again agrees to free the Israelites, but if and only if they leave their “ flocks and herds” behind in Egypt (10:24). It is then that Moses utters those very memorable words quoted above: “ not a hoof shall be left behind”!
It is in this bold announcement that we discover our sweet encouragement for this new day.
Let me now ask that you consider yet another line from the sacred Word of God:
“ For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1).
The connection between these two verses, though separated by over 1400 years of history, is that both reveal to us what true liberty, or “ freedom,” really is.
When Moses uttered those words to Pharaoh, he was making it clear that, for the Old Covenant people, there could be no true freedom to serve the Lord unless every last fraction of their lives, including all of their possessions and worldly goods–even every last “ hoof”–were fully at their King’s disposal. There is no such thing as partial worship or fractional service when it comes to the one true and living God! It is all or nothing, literally!
This follows naturally from the fact that the God of the Israelites, our God and Father, is sovereign over all things. His omnipotent reign extends to every fraction of space, and even to the smallest details of our lives. To belong to Him, by definition, means that He is the Owner and Lord of everything, without exception.
Then, the Apostle Paul reminds us that when our Lord Jesus came, as the Greater Moses, He appeared for this one holy purpose: to secure our true and eternal “ freedom.” But, it is precisely here that the enigma of discipleship confronts us.
As people of the New Covenant, we are only ” free” when all that we are and all that we have are employed in the worship and service of our Lord and King. We cannot be ” free” until we have placed everything in His hands, even down to the hooves on our cattle! Our Savior is Lord of all, literally!
And only as we recognize this fact, and submit to such an infinitely extensive reign as His, are we liberated in the way that Jesus has intended.
True “ freedom” in Christ is having nothing, because all that we once had has been freely given over to His Lordship! To quote our Savior yet again, we discover our life only when we lose it for the sake of His service:
“ For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 16:25).
So, let me encourage you to give your ‘hooves’ to the Lord today! Tell the tempter that you will never serve the Savior partially. Declare to the malevolent “ principalities”and“ powers” (Romans 8:38) that you belong to your gracious King, totally! There will be no compromise for you! Not even a single “ hoof shall be left behind”!
And then, be “ free”! Enjoy the blessed “ freedom” for which your Lord has “ set you free.”
I love you with all my heart!
Mike