Then Moses said to the people, “Commemorate this day, the day you came out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery, because the Lord brought you out of it with a mighty hand. Eat nothing containing yeast.
(Exodus 13:3 NIV)
Hey guys! Okay, so this will be brief. But I think it’s worth writing about. When I was reading Exodus 13, I was momentarily confused. I knew from previous knowledge that the children of Israel did not cross over the Red Sea until Exodus 14. But the language in Exodus 13 made me second guess myself.
As you can see from the referenced text, Moses said “Commemorate this day, the day you came out of Egypt” … the day you came out of Egypt… not the day you will come out of Egypt. Moses spoke in the past tense, not future tense. He talked as if they had already come out of Egypt. Yet, they didn’t actually exit Egypt until Exodus 14…
I also found it interesting that in Exodus 12, God gave the people instructions on how to celebrate and memorialize the victory before it occurred. God even instructed them on what foods to eat and when to eat them.
Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread, because it was on this very day that I brought your divisions out of Egypt. Celebrate this day as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come.
(Exodus 12:17 NIV)
Again, here we see past tense language used—“on this very day that I brought your divisions out of Egypt.” Brought. Not will bring… but brought. Another example is in the book of Joshua. Right before Joshua went to win the victory at Jericho in Joshua 5:9, God told Joshua, “Today, I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you”. Yet again, here’s that past tense language. “I have rolled away the reproach”… not “I will roll, but I have rolled”. Yet the walls of Jericho didn’t actually fall until after God said He rolled it away.
So, what’s my implication?
Well, I have two. My first implication is this: God is calling some of you to throw a pre-celebratory bash for your victory. God has told some of you that He has rolled away your reproach. God has told some of you that you have arrived at your exodus. But because you don’t see the parting of your Red Sea, you haven’t gotten excited.
But God has called some of you to celebrate in advance! God wants some of you to toast to your victory before you even suit up for battle. God is calling some of you to put the proverbial steak on the grill and celebrate the joyous occasion that is to come. Some of you need to start shouting and praising Him now because the victory is already yours. God is calling some of you to celebrate early because the victory is 100% guaranteed which leads me to my second implication.
Some of you can have an early celebration because when God promises a thing, you can talk past tense and present tense about future tense situations. You don’t have to say, “I will be a wife or husband.” You can say, “I am a wife or husband.” You don’t have to say, “I will be a successful business owner.” You can say, “I am a successful business owner.” And no, this isn’t a manifestation concept.
I am not talking about calling things as if they already exist because you want them to exist. I am talking about calling things as if they already exist because God said it would exist. God told the children of Israel to celebrate early. God told Joshua that He had rolled away the reproach before the reproach was rolled away.
The only way to know if God is calling you to have a pre-celebratory bash is by listening for His celebratory announcements. We do this by staying in-tune with His Holy Spirit by way of meditating on the Word, praying, and fasting. It would be such a let-down to have an early celebration for a victory that God never promised. So, please, seek God for His guidance and confirmation.
And for those of you who are sure of God’s call to celebrate in advance…Cheers!!!
You don’t have to see the Red Sea parting or the walls of Jericho falling before you celebrate. The children of Israel didn’t know God was going to part the Red Sea, they just knew God said to celebrate. Joshua didn’t know how victory was going to be won at Jericho until after God told Him the reproach had been rolled away.
So, don’t worry how victory will be won. Just celebrate. Toast to victory today, watch victory unfold tomorrow.
Quin Arrington's debut book "And Then You Shall Have Good Success: Attaining Good Success God's Way" is available on Amazon in paperback and eBook format. Link to book listed below.